Coolies  Sawing  Planks 


®hr  Nrut  Amrrira 

AND 

®ljr  Jar  East 

A Picturesque  and  Historic  Description  of  these  Lands  and  Peoples 


By  G.  Waldo  Browne 

Author  of  “ Paradise  of  the  Pacific ,”  “ Pearl  of  the  Orient etc. 

With  a General  Introduction  by  EDWARD  S.  ELLIS,  A.  M. 

Author  of  “ History  of  Our  Country “ People's  History  of  the  United  States,” 
“ Youth's  History  of  the  United  States,”  etc. 

With  the  following  Special  Articles 


IjauiaU 

Bv  the  Honorable  HENRY  CABOT  LODGE 

J 

By  Major-General  JOSEPH  WHEELER 
By  His  Excellency  KOGORO  TAKAHIRA 

(Cbtna 

By  the  Honorable  JOHN  D.  LONG 

(Cuba 

By  General  LEONARD  WOOD 

|Jnrtn  2Ur0 

By  the  Honorable  CHARLES  H.  ALLEN 


Illustrated  by  about  1,200  Photogravures,  Colored  Plates,  Engravings  & Maps 


MARSHALL  JONES  COMPANY 

BOSTON 


Copyright , iqoi 
By  Dana  Estes  & Company 

All  rights  reserved 

Copyright , /907 

By  Marshall  Jones  Company 


Colonial  llrtw 

Electrotyped  and  Printed  by  C.  H.  Slmonds  & Co. 
Boston.  Mass.,  U.  S.  A. 


CONTENTS 


VOLUME  I 


CHAPTER 


I. 

II. 

III. 

IV. 
V. 

VI. 

VII. 

VIII. 

IX. 

X. 

XI. 

XII. 

XIII. 

XIV. 
XV. 

XVI. 

XVII. 


HAWAII 

General  Introduction,  Edward  S.  Ellis,  A.  M.  . 
Hawaii,  Hon.  Henry  Cabot  Lodge  . 

Captain  Cook’s  Discovery 

The  Island  Wonderland 

A Picturesque  People 

The  Napoleon  of  the  Pacific  .... 
Ancient  Hawaiian  Religion  .... 

The  Last  Defenders  of  the  Old  Faith 

Missionary  Work 

The  Hawaiian  Magna  Charta  .... 

Rise  of  the  Republic 

Industrial  Progress 

The  Japanese  and  Contract  Labour  in  Hawaii 

The  Chinese  in  Paradise 

Annexation 

Vistas  of  Oahu 

Grim  Molokai 

Picturesque  Maui 

The  Island  Builder 


PAGE 

xiii 

xxi 

1 

13 

21 

36 

55 

64 

77 

86 

99 

115 

126 

134 

145 

156 

167 

173 

183 


ill 


FULL  PAGE  ENGRAVINGS. 


Coolies  Sawing  Planks.  Photogravure 
Natives  Preparing  Poi,  Hawaii.  Coloured 
Pineapple  Garden,  Oahu 
Foliage  and  Flowers  ok  the  Night -blooming 
Native  Straw  Hut,  Hawaii.  Coloured 
Kipahulu  Landing,  Maui 
Landing  through  the  Surf . 

Cocoanut  Island  .... 

Lei  Women,  Hawaii.  Coloured 
Natural  Arch  at  Onamea,  Hawaii 
Surf  Boat  at  Waikiki.  Coloured 
View  near  the  Needles,  Iao  Valley 
Kaapena  Pool  .... 

Waialua  Falls,  on  Kauai  . 

Naval  Row,  Honolulu  Harbour 
IIanapepe  Falls,  Kauai 
A Hawaiian  Hula  Dancer.  Coloured 
Fern  and  Flower  Growth,  Volcano  Road 
Natives  Making  Poi 
Grass  House  and  Lulu 
Diamond  Head,  from  the  Punch  - bom 

Diamond  Head  

TnE  Punch -bowl  .... 

Hawaiian  Children.  Coloured 
Royal  Palace  .... 

Hawaiian  Girls’  Style  of  Dressing 
Rice  Fields,  Moanalua  Valley  . 

Waianae  Coffee  Plantation,  Oaiiu 
Japanese  Plantation  Barber.  Coloured 
Grass  House  and  Natives 
Makee  Island  . 

Rice  Cultivation 
Avenue  of  Palms 
Barking  Sands 
Palms  at  Waikiki 

Shrimp  Fisherman,  Hawaii.  Coloured 
Old  Track  to  the  Volcano  from  Hilo 
Oahu  Prison 


Cerecs 


Frontispiece 


Facing  Page  1 
“ 3 

“ 10 

“ 16 

“ 20 

“ 24 

“ 27 

“ 32 

“ 36 

“ 40 

“ 44 

“ 48 

“ 52 

« 56 

“ 57 

<>  64 


66 

72 

76 

80 

88 

92 

96 

104 

112 

120 

128 

132 

136 

140 

144 

148 

152 

156 

160 

168 

176 


vi  FULL  FAGE  ENGRAVINGS 

Crater  of  Haleakala,  Maui Facing  Page  184 

Layson  Island  Birds “ 192 

COLOURED  MAP 

Hawaii Facing  Page  8 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


VOLUME  I. 


Pacific  Mail  Steamer  Australia 

PAGE 

1 

Riding  Bullocks  . . 

PAGE 

42 

Hawaiian  Chief 

• 

2 

Hanalei  River  . . . 

43 

Captain  Cook 

• 

4 

The  Needles,  Iao  Valley 

44 

Hawaiian  Coat  of  Arms  . 

• 

5 

Cascades  .... 

• • 

45 

Scene  on  Maui  . 

• 

6 

Scene  on  Volcano  Road  . 

• • 

46 

Ancient  Pagan  Temple,  Hawaii 

7 

Sulphur  Banks,  Volcano  . 

• • 

47 

Cocoanut  Island,  Coral  Reefs 

8 

Honolulu  from  Punchbowl 

50 

Murder  of  Captain  Cook 

9 

Fort  Street,  Honolulu 

51 

Monument  to  Captain  Cook 

11 

Around  Kaena  Point 

53 

Shore  near  Hilo 

13 

Hula,  or  Dancing -girls  . 

54 

Hanapepe  Falls,  Kauai 

14 

Breadfruit  .... 

55 

Waikaui  Falls,  Maui 

15 

Ieie  Vine 

56 

Honolulu  Harbour  from  Govern- 

Fern  Growth 

59 

ment  Building 

16 

Umbrella  Tree,  Cocoanut  Island  . 

60 

Highest  Point  in  the  Crater 

OF 

Wood  Scene,  Volcano  Road 

61 

Kilauea 

17 

Hawaiian  with  Mask 

62 

Ohia,  Hawaiian  Apple 

18 

Hula  Girls 

64 

Ohelo  ..... 

19 

Natives  Preparing  Food 

65 

Taro  Patch 

20 

Banana  Patch  . 

67 

Cocoanut  Grove 

21 

Wine  Palm  .... 

69 

Hawaiian  Chief  of  Olden 

Times 

Bathing  Pool,  Nuuanu  Valley 

70 

with  Feather  Helmet 

22 

Waipio  Landing 

. • 

71 

A Young  Girl  . 

23 

Wildwood  Tangle  on  Volcano  Road 

72 

Outrigger  Boats 

24 

On  the  Road  from  Hilo  to  the 

War  Canoe,  Olden  Time  . 

25 

Volcano 

• • 

73 

Native  Boats 

26 

Near  the  Pali  . 

• • 

74 

Interior  of  Native  House 

29 

Series  of  Cascades  . 

• • 

75 

Liliuokalani,  1883,  Heir  Apparent 

30 

Lauhala,  or  Screw  Palm 

77 

Native  Grass  House 

31 

Lava  Lake  .... 

• • 

78 

Riding  the  Surf 

32 

View  near  Hilo 

• • 

80 

View  near  Hilo 

• 

33 

Diamond  Head  . 

• • 

81 

Palm  Grove 

34 

Fern  Tree  .... 

• • 

82 

Statue  of  Kamehameha  I. 

• 

36 

Mormon  Settlement,  Lanai 

• • 

83 

Hilo  Bay  .... 

o 

37 

Native  Shrimp  Catcher  . 

84 

Nawiliwili,  Kauai 

• 

38 

Screw  Palm,  or  Pandanus 

87 

Iao  Valley  . . 

• 

40 

Birthplace  of  Princess  Ruth,  Ha- 

Wunano  Bluff  . 

• 

41 

WAII  .... 

88 

vii 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


viii 


in  State  .....  105 

King  Kalakaua 106 

Queen  Liliuokalani  ....  107 

Corridor  of  Palace  ....  108 
U.  S.  S.  Boston  at  Honolulu  . . 109 

Executive  Building,  Honolulu  . 110 
Queen’s  Guard  and  Barracks  . Ill 


PAGE 

PAGE 

Wailua  Falls,  Kauai 

. 

. 

89 

Hanalei  River  and  Rice  Fields 

135 

Date  Palm  Avenue, 

Hospital 

Umbrella  Tree,  Cocoanut  Island  . 

136 

Grounds 

. 

. 

90 

Bamboo  Tree  . . . . . 

137 

Mangoes 

. 

• 

91 

Nuuanu  Street,  Honolulu 

138 

Honolulu  in  1840 

• 

. 

92 

Wild  Ginger  ..... 

139 

Gathering  Sugar-cane 

• 

• 

. 

93 

A Lanai,  or  Veranda 

140 

Honolulu  Harbour  . 

• 

• 

• 

95 

Street  in  Honolulu  . . . . 

141 

Valley  of  Maui 

• 

• 

• 

96 

Bishop  Museum  . . . . . 

142 

Waipio  Valley  . 

• 

• 

• 

97 

Avenue  of  Palms,  Private  Garden 

143 

Taro  Roots 

• 

• 

• 

99 

Royal  Palm  Avenue 

144 

Queen  Emma 

• 

• 

100 

Nuuanu  Avenue  . . . . 

145 

Lunalilo  Home  . 

• 

• 

102 

Government  Building 

146 

King  Kalakaua  . 

• 

• 

103 

President  Dole  . . . . . 

147 

Queen  Kapiolani 

. 

• 

104 

Nuuanu  Street,  Honolulu  • . 

148 

Royal  Funeral  — Kalakaua 

Lying 

Proclamation  of  Republic,  July  4, 

1894  .... 

Waikiki  Road  along  the  Bea 
Bishop  Hall,  Oahu  College 
Diamond  Head 
U.  S.  Cruiser  Philadelphia 
Hawaiian  Feast 
Merchants’  Country  Houses 


Station  House  . 

. 

112 

Lava  Heap  . 

• 

157 

Royal  Collection  of  Curios 

• 

113 

Y.  M.  C.  A.  Building  . 

159 

Queen’s  Bedroom 

• 

114 

Waianae 

• 

160 

Prince  Leleiokoku 

• 

115 

Queen’s  Hospital 

. 

162 

Private  Residence,  Hawaii 

• 

116 

Princess  Kaiulani  in  X 

ATION AL 

Native  Style  of  Riding  . 

• 

117 

Costume 

163 

Gathering  Sugar-cane 

. 

118 

Lava  Pile  . 

. 

164 

Banana  Blossom  and  Fruit 

. 

119 

Street  in  Honolulu,  Royal  Fu- 

G.  A.  R.  Section  in  Cemetery, 

neral  Procession 

165 

Honolulu 

• . 

120 

Landing  Cattle 

. 

168 

Sugar  Mill 

121 

Akaka  Falls,  Hilo,  510 

Feet  High 

169 

Rice  Fields,  Hanalei 

• 

122 

Lava  Buttress  . 

171 

Kindergarten,  Former  Home  of 

Lava  Lake  . 

. 

172 

Queen  Emma 

. . 

123 

Pacific  Institute 

. 

173 

Steam f.rs  Plying  b e t w e e n 

THE 

Chasm  Opened  after  Collapse  of 

Islands  .... 

. 

124 

Lava  Crust  . 

. 

175 

Honolulu  Railway  Station 

. 

125 

Silver  Plant 

. 

176 

Japanese  Village  near  Hilo 

127 

Taro  Plant 

. 

177 

Japanese,  Hawaii 

128 

Room  in  Volcano  House 

. 

179 

Canf.  Field,  Waianae 

• 

129 

Volcano  House  . 

. 

180 

Japanese  Houses 

• 

130 

The  Pali 

. 

181 

Japanese  Woman 

• 

131 

Crater  of  Kilauea  . 

. 

182 

Japanese  Houses 

• 

132 

Princess  Kaiulani 

. 

. 183 

Kukui  Trees 

• 

133 

1 Crater  Wall,  Ivilauf.a 

. 

184 

Public  Library  . . . 

• , 

134 

1 Rainbow  Falls,  Hilo 

. 

185 

149 

150 

151 

152 

153 

154 
156 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


IX 


Lava  Flow 
Descent  at  Lava 
Barking  Sands 


Lake,  Kilauea 


PAGE 

186 

187 

189 


Kamehameha  School 
New  Road  to  the  Pali 


page 

. 190 

. 191 


PREFATORY  NOTE. 


In  the  preparation  of  a work  of  this  kind,  which  requires  the  consultation  of  so 
many  authorities,  it  is  difficult  to  specify  one’s  indebtedness  in  all  cases.  The  author 
desires  to  express  his  obligations  in  that  part  of  his  work  which  treats  of  the  Hawaiian 
and  Philippine  Islands  to  Daggett’s  “Legends  of  Hawaii,”  Carpenter’s  “America  in 
Hawaii,”  Musick’s  “Our  New  Possession,”  “Hawaii’s  Story  by  Hawaii’s  Queen,” 
Clare’s  “Hawaii  Nei,”  Foreman’s  “History  of  the  Philippines,”  Worcester’s  “The 
Philippine  Islands  and  Their  People,”  Lala’s  “The  Philippine  Islands,”  and  other 
books,  while  he  has  had  frequent  recourse  to  the  Reports  of  the  United  States  Gov- 
ernment. Those  works  most  often  consulted  upon  Japan  have  been  Murray’s  “Story 
of  Japan,”  Griffis’s  “The  Mikado’s  Empire,”  Riordan’s  “Sunrise  Stories,”  Lowell’s 
“Soul  of  the  Far  East,”  and  Baxter’s  “In  Bamboo  Lands.”  The  author  has  been 
materially  assisted  in  the  part  devoted  to  China  by  the  works  of  Colquhoun,  Thomson, 
Boulger,  Lord  Charles  Beresford,  Mrs.  Bishop,  Miss  Scidmore,  and  several  others, 
aside  from  many  miscellaneous  papers  and  documents. 

For  aid  in  illustrating  the  work,  the  publishers  wish  to  express  their  thanks  to 
Hon.  Gorham  D.  Gilman,  who  generously  allowed  them  such  selections  as  they  desired 
from  his  extensive  collections  of  photographs  on  Hawaii,  probably  the  largest  in  the 
country,  and  to  Professor  Fryer,  of  the  University  of  California,  for  similar  courtesies 
in  relation  to  the  illustrations  of  China. 


xi 


GENERAL  INTRODUCTION. 

BY  EDWARD  S.  ELLIS,  A.  M 


FOR  more  than  one  hundred  years,  the  United  States  of  America  was  confined 
to  the  American  continent.  Through  the  travail  and  bloody  sweat  from 
Lexington,  in  1775,  to  the  surrender  at  Yorktown,  in  1781,  the  thirteen  colonies  were 
engaged  in  the  struggle  for  existence,  for  life,  for  independence.  The  war  of  1812 
was  necessary  to  demonstrate  the  right  of  the  United  States  to  a membership  among 
the  brotherhood  of  nations.  The  crucial  test  of  all  came  a half-century  later,  when 
the  house  divided  against  itself  had  yet  to  prove  that  it  should  not  fall.  Such  proof 
was  given  with  a grandeur,  with  a majesty,  and  with  a completeness  of  triumph  and 
accomplishment  that  placed  our  country  among  the  very  foremost  in  the  van  of  civilisa- 
tion, of  progress,  of  humanity,  and  all  that  tends  to  make  a people  truly  great. 

When  the  Constitution  was  adopted,  the  settled  portions  of  the  United  States 
fringed  the  Atlantic  coast  from  Maine  to  Florida.  The  western  boundary  was  the 
Mississippi  River.  Beyond  the  Father  of  Waters  stretched  an  expanse  of  mountain, 
river,  and  prairie,  far  exceeding  in  area  the  region  which  constituted  the  original 
United  States.  Then  followed  the  acquisition  of  Florida,  Louisiana  Territory,  and, 
later,  the  countries  obtained  by  the  conquest  of  Mexico,  and,  finally,  the  immense 
purchase  of  Alaska  from  Russia,  our  traditional  friend. 

Thus  far,  it  will  be  noted,  our  acquisition  of  territory  was  restricted  to  the  conti- 
nent itself.  It  is  a fact,  of  which  perhaps  not  all  are  aware,  that  the  present  popula- 
tion of  the  United  States  can  be  expanded  twelve-fold  before  its  density  will  equal 
that  of  some  of  the  most  prosperous  countries  of  Europe.  But  for  the  Spanish- 
American  war,  it  is  not  conceivable  that  the  out-reaching  of  the  United  States,  or  the 
‘•'earth  hunger,”  as  it  has  been  aptly  termed,  would  have  extended  beyond  either  of 
the  enclosing  oceans.  To  our  north  lies  Canada,  so  immovably  chained  to  the  mother 
country  that  not  a link  can  be  severed;  south  of  the  Rio  Grande  our  tropical  neigh- 
bour has  acquired  a prosperity  and  power,  under  the  admirable  rule  of  its  President, 
which  ensure  an  indefinite  continuance  of  the  greatness  that  has  lifted  it  to  a plane 
never  before  attained,  and  scarcely  dreamed  of  by  its  most  patriotic  sons. 

Never  was  there  a more  holy  war  than  that  in  which  the  United  States  engaged 
for  the  liberation  of  Cuba.  For  more  than  a century  her  people  had  been  ground  into 
the  very  dust  by  the  brutality  of  the  most  merciless  nation  in  the  world.  Spain, 
from  the  very  hour  that  her  explorers  first  set  foot  on  American  soil,  proved  a ouxse 

xiii 


XIV 


INTRODUCTION. 


and  a blight,  and  the  inherent  ferocity  of  the  Spaniard  quickly  shrivelled  into  idiocy. 
When  the  wit  of  a child  would  have  taught  the  groping  visitors  to  cultivate  the  good- 
will of  the  simple-minded  natives,  who  were  eager  to  show  their  friendship,  and  to 
provide  plentiful  food  for  the  starving  intruders,  the  latter,  in  pure  wantonuess, 
murdered,  massacred,  and  tortured  to  the  utmost  limit  of  human  ingenuity.  Balboa, 
in  the  early  years  of  the  sixteenth  century,  was  guided  across  the  isthmus  by  a devoted 
band  of  Indians  who  willingly  acted  as  slaves  for  him  and  his  companions,  and  risked 
their  lives  to  secure  the  indispensable  food  for  them.  Then,  when  Balboa  climbed 
the  rocky  height  on  the  western  shore  and  looked  out  over  the  limitless  expanse  of  the 
South  Sea,  and  was  thrilled  and  overcome  by  the  thought  that  he  was  the  first  white 
man  that  had  gazed  upon  the  vastest  ocean  of  the  globe,  he  sank  upon  his  knees, 
thanked  God  for  his  mercies,  and  then,  like  true  Spaniards,  he  and  his  men  turned 
about  and  cut  and  slashed  the  Indians  to  death. 

The  horrible  crime  of  Balboa  was  repeated  by  all  the  Spanish  explorers,  without 
exception,  who  came  after  him.  The  story  is  one  long,  ghastly  record  of  cruelty, 
treachery,  crime,  blood,  and  idiocy.  Providential  indeed  was  it  for  the  future  of  our 
country  that  the  interest  of  Spain  was  diverted  to  the  far  south,  and  that  the  United 
States  was  colonised  by  the  English,  the  Dutch,  the  Swedes,  and  the  French,  — peoples 
who  were  sturdy,  honest,  enterprising,  and  who  believed  to  a practical  extent  in  the 
Golden  Rule.  Had  it  been  otherwise,  and  had  Spain  been  our  mother,  the  history  of 
Cuba,  with  all  its  terrifying  atrocities,  miseries,  and  failures,  would  have  been  our 
own. 

The  first  conflict  between  the  young  Giant  of  the  West  and  the  decaying  monarchy 
of  Spain  could  have  but  one  issue.  The  Titan  blows  of  the  resistless  hammer  crushed 
the  paste  jewel  to  powder,  and  the  war,  lasting  but  a few  months,  humbled  the  pride 
of  the  decrepit  kingdom  deeper  even  than  when  the  lusty  sons  of  Albion  and  the 
storms  of  a wrathful  heaven  sent  the  Grand  Armada  to  the  bottom  of  the  ocean.  The 
forces  of  Castile  were  driven  out  of  Cuba  by  the  cyclonic  heroism  of  the  American 
regulars  and  volunteers;  Admiral  Cervera’s  fleet  was  riddled  like  so  much  pasteboard; 
the  campaign  in  Porto  Rico  resembled  an  opera  boufte ; and  Admiral  Dewey,  sailing 
into  Manila  Bay  on  that  memorable  May  morning  in  1898,  smote  the  opposing  fleet 
and  forts  with  his  unerring  cannon,  as  if  they  were  so  many  children’s  toys,  set  up  to 
be  demolished  by  those  to  whom  the  task  was  the  merest  sport  itself. 

If  Spain  had  acted  the  zany  for  centuries,  the  time  now  came  when  her  own  exist- 
ence forbade  her  to  play  it  longer.  The  Treaty  of  Paris  followed,  and  by  its  terms 
the  United  States  became  sovereign  over  the  Philippines,  Porto  Rico,  Guam  (the 
largest  of  the  Ladrone  Islands),  and  subsequently  acquired  the  ownership  of  the  island 
and  harbour  of  the  Samoan  island  of  Tutuila.  Thus  was  ushered  in  the  era  of  ex- 
pansion, and  our  country  gained  a prestige  and  momentous  interest  in  the  Far  East 
which  give  to  the  present  work  a value  of  the  highest  importance. 

The  first  step  of  our  country,  however,  toward  its  entrance  into  the  ranks  of  Powers 


INTRODUCTION. 


xv 


whose  interests  touch  both  hemispheres,  was  taken  during  the  progress  of  the  Spanish- 
American  war  by  the  annexation  of  Hawaii.  In  answer  to  a petition  from  the  islands, 
Congress  passed  an  act,  on  July  7,  1898,  to  annex  them,  and  the  formal  ceremony  of 
raising  the  United  States  flag  took  place  on  the  12th  of  the  following  August.  This 
group  was  formerly  known  as  the  Sandwich  Islands,  and  includes  eight  inhabited  and 
four  uninhabited  islands,  which  are  situated  about  one-third  the  distance  between  San 
Francisco  and  Sydney,  Australia.  They  are  the  most  important  of  all  the  Pacific 
islands,  and  their  acquisition  by  the  United  States  was  not  only  valuable,  but  a neces- 
sity, in  order  to  prevent  their  falling  into  the  possession  of  some  other  power  which, 
in  case  of  war,  would  have  used  them  with  disastrous  effect  to  our  interests.  These 
islands  were  first  opened  to  the  world  by  American  whalemen,  and,  with  the  decline  of 
that  industry  and  the  increase  of  general  commerce,  they  became  recruiting  ports  to 
the  merchant  marine.  Americans  own  nearly  all  the  fertile  area,  and  the  larger  part 
of  their  commerce  is  with  our  own  country.  Hawaii  is  one  of  the  greatest  sugar- 
producing  countries  in  the  world. 

Although  the  transition  of  these  islands  from  their  independent  form  of  govern- 
ment to  a possession  of  the  United  States  was  attended  at  first  with  some  friction,  yet 
on  the  whole  the  change  was  effected  quietly,  and  the  government  to-day  is  of  the 
most  orderly  and  praiseworthy  character. 

As  evidence  of  the  prosperity  of  the  islands  under  the  new  regime,  the  exports  from 
the  United  States  to  Hawaii  nearly  doubled  in  the  year  following  annexation.  In  the 
year  ending  June  30,  1905,  our  trade  with  the  islands  amounted  to  $47,865,235,  of 
which  nearly  three-quarters  was  sugar  imported  from  the  island  ports.  Among  the 
other  products  of  the  islands  are  rice,  fruits  and  nuts,  coffee,  hides  and  skins,  and 
copra  or  dried  cocoanut.  The  goods  imported  by  the  islands  include  wheat  flour  and 
all  kinds  of  manufactured  articles. 

The  natives  of  Hawaii  are  called  Kanakas,  and  are  rapidly  dying  off,  but  their 
places  are  more  than  filled  by  a new  population.  There  was  danger  at  one  time  of  the 
islands  being  overrun  by  Chinese  coolies,  but  they  are  now  excluded.  Emigrants  are 
mainly  composed  of  Portuguese,  Americans,  and  Japanese,  and  the  increased  produc- 
tiveness of  the  islands  is  due  to  their  industry  and  enterprise. 

Few  countries  have  a more  interesting  history  than  Hawaii.  Leaving  the  vague, 
misty  traditions  running  backward  for  centuries,  it  is  shown  in  the  following  pages 
that  the  discovery  of  this  group  of  islands  was  accidentally  made  by  the  famous 
English  navigator,  Captain  Cook,  who,  in  the  month  of  January,  1778,  sighted  the 
island  of  Oahu,  followed  a few  days  later  by  the  discovery  of  other  islands.  Captain 
Cook,  however,  did  not  see  Hawaii  until  the  following  year,  when,  sad  to  say,  like 
many  another  pioneer,  his  life  paid  the  forfeit  of  his  great  achievement.  A singular 
fact,  having  no  real  connection  with  the  incidents  just  narrated,  is  that  the  widow  of 
Captain  Cook  survived  his  death  for  more  than  half  a century. 

Since  Hawaii  is  now  an  integral  part  of  the  great  Republic,  all  relating  thereto  is 


XVI 


INTRODUCTION. 


of  the  highest  interest  and  value.  The  author  of  “The  Far  East”  sets  forth  in 
accurate,  well-chosen,  and  graphic  language  the  fullest  information  regarding  the 
topography  of  the  islands,  all  that  is  known  of  their  history,  the  numerous  productions, 
the  facilities,  the  picturesque  people,  their  social  and  civil  condition,  the  cities,  towns, 
and  settlements,  and,  indeed,  all  that  the  student  or  immigrant  can  possibly  wish  to 
know. 

The  Treaty  of  Paris  made  the  island  of  Porto  Rico  an  American  possession.  It 
ranks  fourth  in  size  among  the  West  Indies,  has  a length  of  ninety-five  miles  from 
east  to  west,  and  about  thirty-five  from  north  to  south.  Since  its  population  is  esti- 
mated at  nearly  a million,  it  will  be  seen  that  it  is  one  of  the  most  thickly  settled 
regions  in  the  world.  San  «J uau,  on  the  northern  coast,  is  the  capital,  while  Ponce,  in 
the  south,  is  the  largest  port.  It  exports  a fine  quality  of  coffee,  sugar,  and  tobacco, 
and  imports  manufactured  goods,  flour,  and  fish.  Porto  Rico,  in  1905,  exported  goods 
to  the  United  States  to  the  amount  of  $15,033,145,  importing  nearly  as  much,  its  total 
business  with  the  United  States  now  being  seven  times  as  great  as  in  1901. 

Another  possession  acquired  by  the  United  States  through  the  Spanish-American 
war  was  Guam,  the  largest  of  the  Ladroue  Islands.  Its  area,  however,  is  so  insignifi- 
cant that  its  importance  is  due  to  its  being  a convenient  telegraph  and  coaling  station 
on  the  voyage  from  Hawaii  to  the  Philippines. 

The  island  and  harbour  Tutuila,  Samoa,  passed  by  treaty  of  Great  Britain  and 
Germany  into  the  hands  of  the  United  States  in  1899.  The  island  has  only  a few 
thousand  inhabitants,  and  possesses  little  commercial  importance,  but  it  has  one  of  the 
best  harbours  of  the  Pacific,  and  gives  to  us  a fine  coaling  station  on  the  route  from 
San  Francisco  to  Australia. 

The  greatest  and  most  valuable  possession  secured  to  the  United  States  by  the 
Treaty  of  Paris  was  the  immense  group  of  islands  known  as  the  Philippines.  These 
are  more  than  a thousand  in  number,  with  a land  area  exceeding  a hundred  thousand 
square  miles,  or  greater  than  the  combined  extent  of  the  six  New  England  States  and 
the  State  of  New  York.  From  north  to  south,  they  extend  fully  a thousand  miles, 
with  a breadth  of  six  hundred  from  east  to  west.  Naturally,  many  of  the  islets  are 
uninhabited.  The  principal  islands  are  twelve  in  number.  Luzon,  the  most  north- 
erly, is  as  large  as  the  State  of  Ohio,  and  contains  the  city  of  Manila,  the  metropolis  of 
the  Philippines,  while  Mindanao,  the  most  southerly  island,  is  of  slightly  less  extent. 
The  chief  products  of  these  islands  are  tobacco,  sugar,  hemp,  and  coffee.  Tobacco  has 
been  grown  for  more  than  a century,  and  the  export  of  cigars  to  Europe  amounts  to  a 
hundred  millions  a year.  The  famous  Manila  hemp  is  produced  from  the  fibre  of  a 
species  of  banana,  and  is  also  used  as  paper  stock.  Our  exports  to  the  Philippines 
were  only  $1,150,613  in  1899,  but  in  the  fiscal  year  1905  they  had  increased  to 
$5,761,498,  while  the  imports  rose  from  $3,840,894  to  $15,668,026. 

The  natural  wealth  of  these  islands  is  prodigious.  Stretching  through  fifteen 
degrees  of  latitude,  with  mountains  of  considerable  elevation,  with  numerous  streams 


INTRODUCTION. 


xvn 


and  fertile  valleys,  these  productions  display  the  choicest  richness  of  the  torrid  and 
temperate  zones.  In  the  depths  of  the  vast  forests  are  found  the  most  valuable  species 
of  woods,  such  as  cedar,  ebony,  ironwood,  mahogany,  logwood,  sapan-wood,  gum-trees, 
and  scores  of  other  kinds  of  woods,  unknown  on  the  American  continent.  The  panave 
and  malave  are  two  woods  which  have  been  exposed  to  the  action  of  water  for 
hundreds  of  years,  without  showing  the  slightest  deterioration.  Probably  the  most 
attractive  and  useful  tree  is  the  bamboo,  which  seems  to  grow  everywhere,  and  sup- 
plies an  endless  variety  of  needs.  It  is  the  chief  material  in  the  construction  of 
bridges,  houses,  and  even  churches,  while  from  it  are  made  baskets,  mats,  chairs, 
vessels  for  liquids,  measures  for  grain,  musical  instruments,  household  utensils, 
vehicles,  rafts  to  float  on  the  rivers,  and  head-gear.  Indeed,  there  seems  to  be  no 
vegetable  production  so  calculated  to  meet  the  general  wants  of  man.  The  tender 
shoots  of  the  bamboo  are  considered  a delicacy  by  the  inhabitants,  and  the  horses  and 
cattle  are  fond  of  the  leaves.  One  variety  of  the  cane  contains  a stone  said  to  be  a 
sovereign  remedy  for  many  of  the  ills  of  the  flesh,  while  still  another  kind  produces  a 
gum  which  is  a specific  for  inflamed  eyes. 

Though  it  would  seem,  from  what  has  been  stated,  that  the  bamboo  is  the  most 
valuable  native  tree  of  the  Philippines,  yet  the  inhabitants  gain  a larger  income  from 
the  cocoanut-palm,  which  is  universally  cultivated.  The  demand  of  the  foreign  market 
for  the  fruit  is  never  fully  met,  and  there  is  no  part  of  the  tree  itself  which  is  not 
utilised.  The  framework  of  the  native  dwellings  is  made  from  the  smooth  trunk,  the 
roof  from  its  leaves,  and  the  chairs  and  tables  from  its  wood.  The  fibre  of  the  tree 
furnishes  the  native  with  the  mats  on  which  he  sleeps;  its  nuts  form  his  meat;  the 
shells  his  household  utensils,  while  the  value  of  the  “milk  in  the  cocoanut”  is  prover- 
bial. The  sap  yields  an  oil  which,  in  a cool  climate,  becomes  a solid,  and  is  made  into 
soap  and  candles.  It  may  be  said  that  every  hut  and  house  in  the  interior  is  illumi- 
nated by  means  of  cocoanut-oil.  Moreover,  the  delicate  flowering  stalk  affords  a 
delicious  beverage,  known  as  the  tuba,  and  the  most  comfortable  of  raiments  is  made 
from  its  fine,  fibrous  particles. 

Another  highly  useful  plant  is  a species  of  bush  rope,  which  sometimes  attains 
the  astonishing  length  of  one  thousand  feet.  It  may  be  described  as  a natural  rope  or 
cord,  with  no  end  to  its  diversified  uses. 

The  mango  is  the  most  important  fruit  of  the  Archipelago.  Its  meat  is  creamy 
and  delicious,  and  the  tree  grows  to  a great  size.  Two,  and  sometimes  three,  pickings 
are  obtained  every  year.  There  are  over  fifty  varieties  of  bananas.  The  pctpau;  yields 
a fruit  resembling  in  shape  and  flavour  the  melon ; guavas,  tamarinds,  pineapples, 
lemons,  huge  oranges,  the  custard-apple,  citron,  breadfruit,  strawberry,  and  other 
products  peculiar  to  the  tropics  flourish  in  great  luxuriance.  A remarkable  fruit 
found  in  the  western  islands  is  the  durien,  — a dainty,  delicious  production  which, 
however,  bears  only  once  in  twenty  years.  Investigations  made  since  our  acquisition 
of  the  Philippines  have  brought  to  light  numerous  plants  and  herbs  of  great  medicinal 


INTRODUCTION. 


xviii 

value.  A striking  proof  of  the  amazing  fertility  is  afforded  by  the  common  sight, 
seen  on  the  same  plot  of  land,  of  the  planting,  cultivating,  and  harvesting,  going  on  in 
alternation.  In  the  words  of  the  author,  “From  the  great  storehouse  of  natural 
treasures  of  Luzon,  the  largest  and  richest  of  these  pearls  of  the  Pacific,  to  the 
hundreds  of  smaller  gems,  all  resplendent  in  a vegetation  which  clothes  not  only  the 
plains  and  the  lowlands,  but  the  mountains  and  the  seashore,  with  a verdure  of  many 
hues  and  never-fading  gloss,  the  florist  finds  his  paradise,  and  the  botanist  his 
wonderland.” 

Although  the  Philippine  group  for  centuries  has  poured  treasures  into  the  lap  of 
Spain  that  are  beyond  estimate,  yet  it  would  be  unjust  to  overlook  the  many  serious 
drawbacks  which  must  be  encountered  by  every  settler  among  the  islands.  Our  sol- 
diers, who  have  spent  weary  months  in  the  attempt  to  crush  the  rebellion  led  by 
Aguinaldo,  tell  of  the  seasons  described  as  “six  months  of  mud,  six  months  of  dust, 
six  months  of  everything.”  The  northern  islands  are  swept  by  the  Chinese  typhoons, 
which  in  one  season  destroyed  four  thousand  houses  and  three  hundred  people.  Earth- 
quakes are  so  numerous  that  multitudes  of  lives  are  lost  every  year  from  that  cause. 
In  1863,  one-half  of  the  city  of  Manila  was  tumbled  into  ruins,  and  more  than  three 
thousand  of  its  inhabitants  were  killed  or  injured.  Tidal  waves  have  been  equally 
destructive  to  life  and  property.  Fever,  malaria,  and  other  tropical  diseases  are 
common,  and  the  heat  is  especially  oppressive  to  unacclimated  persons,  women  and 
children  being  particularly  subject  to  the  perils  of  the  climate.  The  experience  of  our 
soldiers  in  Cuba  and  in  the  Philippines,  where  sanitary  conditions  have  been  bad,  has 
been  attended  with  many  fatalities.  Such  men,  from  natural  carelessness,  are  certain 
to  suffer  severely.  Still,  the  Philippines  are  not  as  unhealthful  as  would  be  supposed 
from  the  foregoing  statements.  When  American  thrift  and  enterprise  shall  have  had 
time  in  which  to  introduce  modern  systems  of  sanitation,  the  improvement  in  health 
will  be  marked  and  decisive. 

Animal  life  in  the  Philippines  is  less  prominent  than  in  many  other  countries  of 
the  same  latitude.  The  wildcat,  wild  boar,  buffalo,  hog,  deer,  and  monkey  abound  in 
the  forests.  The  reptiles  and  venomous  insects  are  a pest,  the  most  prominent  being 
frogs,  lizards,  snakes,  centipedes,  gigantic  spiders,  tarantulas,  hornets,  beetles,  ants 
horned  toads,  and  enormous  bats.  Some  of  the  bats  have  a spread  of  six  feet,  with 
bodies  as  large  as  cats.  One  of  the  deadliest  of  all  serpents  is  the  manapo,  whose  bite 
is  as  fatal  as  that  of  the  East  Indian  cobra.  It  is  occasionally  encountered  in  the  rice 
fields,  but,  fortunately,  it  is  quite  rare.  Crocodiles  of  huge  size  abound  in  the  fresh 
water  streams,  and  a species  of  cobra  is  sometimes  seen  in  Samor  and  Mindanao.  Ants 
and  mosquitoes  form  an  almost  intolerable  pest.  The  white  ants  work  in  the  dark, 
and  destroy  the  hardest  pieces  of  furniture.  It  is  said  that  the  whole  framework  of  a 
house  has  been  known  to  collapse  from  the  ravages  of  these  insects.  Every  few  years, 
swarms  containing  numberless  millions  of  locusts  sweep  the  country  bare  of  all  the 
crops,  with  the  single  exception  of  the  hemp  plantations,  which  are  exempt.  The  only 


INTRODUCTION. 


xix 


way  by  which  the  natives  even  up  matters  with  the  locusts  is  to  eat  them,  and  they  are 
considered  such  a delicacy  that,  in  many  instances,  the  parish  priest  has  prayed  for 
their  coming.  The  Philippines  contain  more  than  six  hundred  species  of  birds.  Some 
of  these  have  wonderfully  brilliant  plumage  but  among  them  all  there  is  not  one 
sweet  singer.  The  game  birds  include  the  snipe,  pheasant,  pigeons,  ducks,  woodcocks, 
and  various  waterfowls. 

It  is  impossible,  in  an  introduction  of  this  character,  to  do  more  than  outline  in 
the  vaguest  and  most  imperfect  manner  the  wealth  of  subjects  treated  in  the  pages 
that  follow.  As  we  have  already  intimated,  the  acquirement  of  Porto  Rico,  Hawaii,  a 
portion  of  the  Ladrones,  and  the  immense  Archipelago  in  the  Far  East,  gives  an  inter- 
est and  value  to  all  the  knowledge  obtainable  regarding  them.  Their  history,  their 
.natural  productions  and  capabilities,  their  inhabitants,  their  attractions,  their  advan- 
tages and  disadvantages  as  a field  for  American  enterprise,  are  of  the  deepest  moment 
to  the  citizens  of  the  United  States.  That  the  field  thus  opened  to  our  commerce, 
trade,  and  industry  is  of  vast  and  far-reaching  importance  is  self-evident.  To  meet 
the  widespread  demand  for  full  and  accurate  information  regarding  our  possessions  in 
the  Far  East,  these  volumes  are  now  offered  to  the  American  public. 

Edward  S.  Ellis. 


HAWAII. 

BY 

HON.  HENRY  CABOT  LODGE, 

UNITED  STATES  SENATOR. 


In  the  year  1893  the  Hawaiian  question  was  one  of  the  leading  issues  of  our  politics. 
Mr.  Cleveland  then  undertook  to  reverse  the  traditional  policy  of  the  United  States  in 
regard  to  the  islands,  parties  divided  over  the  question,  the  deposed  queen  found  eager 
partisans,  and  the  successful  leaders  of  the  revolt  against  her  were  warmly  defended 
and  as  earnestly  attacked.  Five  years  later,  in  the  midst  of  a war  which  furnished  an 
argument  so  conclusive  upon  the  subject  that  no  man  could  successfully  gainsay  it, 
the  islands  were  annexed  to  the  United  States.  With  annexation  actually  accomplished, 
the  Hawaiian  question  came  to  an  end,  and  it  was  all  so  natural,  and,  indeed,  so  inevi- 
table, that  it  now  requires  an  effort  to  understand  how  there  could  ever  have  been 
any  difference  of  opinion  in  regard  to  it.  The  islands  have  come  so  easily  into  our 
system,  and  so  obviously  belong  there,  that  once  ours  they  have  been  in  a measure  for- 
gotten, and,  while  the  country  has  been  filled  with  discussion  in  regard  to  Porto  Rico 
and  the  Philippines,  Hawaii  has  dropped  out  of  sight.  This  is  due,  of  course,  to  the 
fact  that  the  islands  for  more  than  fifty  years  had  been  practically  ruled  by  Americans, 
and  had  become  thoroughly  Americanised  by  the  New  England  missionaries,  who  had 
settled  there  in  the  first  half  of  the  nineteenth  century,  and  by  their  descendants.  But 
it  would  be  most  unfortunate  if,  on  account  of  our  familiarity  with  the  islands  so 
closely  connected  with  us  for  so  long  a time,  and  because  they  have  so  smoothly  and 
quietly  become  a part  of  our  system,  we  should  overlook  their  value  and  their  meaning 
to  us,  — past,  present,  and  in  the  time  to  come. 

Among  the  new  possessions  which  have  come  to  us  in  these  last  three  years,  so 
crowded  with  great  events,  none  is  more  important  to  our  future  than  Hawaii.  This 
seems  a very  strong  statement  in  view  of  the  almost  incalculable  importance  of  the 
Philippines  to  our  position,  both  military  and  commercial,  in  the  East.  And  yet, 
although  the  statement  is  strong,  it  is  not  overdrawn,  and  the  Philippines  themselves 
have  greatly  enhanced  the  value  of  Hawaii.  The  Hawaiian  Islands  are  rich,  very 
fertile,  capable  of  producing  most  valuable  crops  of  sugar,  coffee,  and  bananas,  and  of 
sustaining  a large  and  prosperous  population.  This  intrinsic  worth  is,  however,  the 
least  part  of  their  value  to  us.  Look  at  the  map,  and  their  importance,  their  vital 
importance,  to  the  United  States  becomes  at  once  apparent.  The  largest  of  the  Pacific 


XXI 


XXII 


HAWAII. 


island  groups,  Hawaii,  lies  far  away  to  the  north  and  east  of  the  Polynesian  chain  of 
islands,  and  almost  in  the  centre  of  the  great  ocean  which  stretches  from  China  to 
California.  The  master  of  Hawaii  can  reach  more  quickly  to  more  essential  points  east 
and  west,  north  and  south,  than  any  one  else  in  the  Pacific.  In  Hawaii,  also,  is  Pearl 
Harbour,  one  of  the  two  deep-water  and  naturally  sheltered  harbours  to  be  found  in  all 
the  islands,  the  other  being  Pago-Pago,  in  Tutuila,  which  is  also  in  our  possession,  but 
far  inferior  in  geographical  position  to  that  in  Oahu.  With  moderate  improvement 
Pearl  Harbour  would  shelter  a navy,  and  with  comparatively  small  expenditure  can  be 
made  impregnable.  A foreign  nation  holding  Oahu  and  Pearl  Harbour  would  be  not 
only  a constant  menace  to  America,  but  in  the  event  of  war  would  have  an  advantage 
in  attacking  our  Pacific  coast  which  it  would  be  almost  impossible  to  overcome.  The 
mere  possession  of  the  islands  by  the  United  States  is  a great  protection,  and  if  we 
fortify  them  and  create  a naval  station  there  no  enemy  would  dare  to  assail  the  Pacific 
coast,  with  Pearl  Harbour,  so  easily  made  impregnable,  behind  them.  The  strategic  im- 
portance of  the  islands  is,  moreover,  as  obvious  commercially  as  from  a military  and 
naval  point  of  view.  Hawaii  has  well  been  called  the  “crossroads  of  the  Pacific,”  and 
although  the  shortest  route  to  Japan  from  San  Francisco,  sailing  on  a great  circle,  is 
just  south  of  the  Aleutian  Islands,  Honolulu  is  none  the  less  the  central  point  for  the 
intersection  of  steamship  routes  and  ocean  cables  between  America,  on  the  one  side, 
and  Polynesia,  Australia,  the  Philippines,  and  Southern  China  on  the  other. 

Islands  possessing  the  military  and  commercial  importance  which  has  just  been  in- 
dicated deserve  to  be  well  known  and  thoroughly  understood  by  the  people  who  have  so 
lately  added  them  to  their  domain.  Very  fortunately  it  is  possible  not  only  to  write  the 
history  of  these  islands  fully  and  accurately,  but  that  history  is  picturesque  and  inter- 
esting in  a very  high  degree.  Their  old  name  of  the  Sandwich  Islands,  now  happily 
extinguished,  carries  us  back  to  an  English  eighteenth  century  minister  who  was  him- 
self a remarkably  stupid  and  worthless  nobleman,  but  whose  title  and  office  are  asso- 
ciated with  some  of  the  most  important  voyages  of  discovery  made  at  that  period.  The 
death  of  Captain  Cook  is  indissolubly  associated  with  Hawaii  in  the  tragic  ending  of  a 
narrative  of  adventure  which  has  charmed  generations  of  children  to  a degree  second  only 
to  that  enjoyed  by  Robinson  Crusoe.  Then  we  meet  with  Vancouver,  and  then  comes 
the  career  of  Kamehameha  I.,  a man  of  real  genius,  both  military  and  civil,  who  consoli- 
dated the  islands  under  one  government  and  founded  the  monarchy  which  has  endured 
down  to  our  own  time.  Next  comes  the  arrival  of  the  American  missionaries,  the  devel- 
opment of  the  islands  under  their  influence,  and  the  gradual  intertwining  of  the  fate 
of  the  islands  with  that  of  the  United  States.  From  this  period  we  trace  the  steady 
growth  of  the  American  influence  in  Hawaii  and  the  seemingly  narrow  escape  of  the 
islands  from  the  domination  of  European  powers.  We  meet,  as  we  proceed,  with  the 
great  name  of  Webster,  who  warned  foreign  states  of  American  interest  in  these 
islands,  and  of  Marcy  preparing  to  annex  them  just  on  the  eve  of  a civil  war  which 
drove  all  policies,  but  the  one  desperate  determination  to  save  the  country,  from  the 


HAWAII. 


xxm 


hearts  and  the  minds  of  the  people.  Then  comes  the  gradual  reawakening  of  interest  in 
Hawaii,  the  reciprocity  treaty  which  placed  them  practically  within  our  control,  the 
Harrison  treaty  of  annexation,  and  at  last  the  movement  which  in  the  shock  of  another 
war  brought  about  their  final  acquisition  by  this  country.  The  history  of  Hawaii 
ought  to  be  read  now  by  all  Americans,  and  the  story  of  the  natives  and  of  our  own 
people  who  went  among  them  so  many  years  ago  should  become  familiar  to  us  all, 
for  it  is  now  one  of  the  most  interesting  chapters  in  the  westward  march  of  the 
United  States. 


. 


Natives  Preparing  Poi,  Hawaii 


PACIFIC  MAIL  STEAMER  AUSTRALIA. 


THE  FAR  EAST. 


HAWAII. 

CHAPTER  I 

CAPTAIX  COOK’S  DISCOVERY. 


THE  seafarer  crossing  the  Pacific  Ocean  under  the  imaginary  line  of 
the  Tropic  of  Cancer,  sailing  from  Cape  St.  Lucas,  at  the  southern 
extremity  of  Lower  California,  clue  west  for  over  eight  thousand 
miles,  or  one-third  of  the  distance  around  the  globe,  meets  with  only  a 
solitary  spot  of  land  in  all  that  long  water  journey.  Should  he  traverse 
the  sea  in  a.  slightly  northwesterly  direction,  from  Panama  to  Japan,  he 
would  make  a trip  of  equal  length  and  loneliness,  passing  midway  on  his 
voyage  the  same  ocean  isle  as  before.  If  he  should  start  from  San  Fran- 
cisco, bound  to  Queensland,  he  would  again  compass  his  stupendous  passage 


l 


9 


TIIE  FAR  EAST. 


greeted  by  the  same  lonely  sentinel  of  the  mighty  deep.  But  this  time  he 
would  find  soon  after  passing  this  spot  innumerable  islands,  isles,  and  coral 
reefs  scattered  all  along  his  way.  On  the  north,  however,  not  a speck 
dots  the  watery  expanse  until  the  polar  lands  are  reached. 

This  breakwater  of  the  Central  Pacific,  which  old  ocean  has  tried  in 
vain  to  swallow  for  numberless  ages,  is  Kauai,  the  most  northerly  of  the 
Hawaiian  Islands.  Forming  a happy  resemblance  to  a huge  cornucopia 
of  300  miles  curve  from  northwest  to  southeast,  between  latitude  18°  55' 

and  22°  20'  N.,  and  longitude 
154°  55'  and  160°  15'  W.,  this 
group  of  islands  is  the  most 
northerly  cluster  of  the  Poly- 
nesian Archipelago. 

While  numbering  twelve  in 
all,  four  of  these  islands  are 
really  nothing  but  the  brown 
heads  of  rocky  pillars  thrust 
forbiddingly  above  the  surface 
of  the  deep,  and  the  fifth  is  too 
small  and  meagre  in  its  re- 
sources to  afford  a population, 
which  leaves  the  poet’s  “seven 
sunny  isles  of  the  southern 
seas.’’  Beginning  with  the 
point  of  this  horn  of  plenty 
and  running  southward  the  list 
of  eight  comprises  Niiliau,  80  square  miles  in  area ; Kauai,  590  miles; 
Oahu,  600  miles;  Molokai,  270  miles;  Maui,  760  miles;  Lanai,  150 
miles;  Kahoolawe,  Go  miles;  Hawaii,  4,210  miles  in  extent.  The  entire 
group  contains  G.740  square  miles,  or  about  the  amount  of  territory  of 
the  State  of  Massachusetts,  Hawaii  having  almost  two-thirds  of  the  whole 
area . 

1 be  written  history  of  the  Hawaiian  Islands  covers  a period  of  less  than 
a century  and  a quarter,  beginning  with  the  discovery  of  Captain  Cook  in 
1778.  Running  into  this  from  the  centuries  before  there  is  another  story 
told  by  the  tongue,  the  traditions  of  an  uncivilised  race.  Behind  these 


iiawaii 


PINEAPPLE  HARDEN.  OAHU. 


4 


T1IE  FAR  EAST. 


vague  accounts  of  warlike  deeds  and  religious  mysticisms,  there  is  yet 
another  era  portrayed  on  the  scrolls  of  the  silent  ages.  This  takes  us 
back  into  the  misty  past  thousands  of  years,  — back  to  a period  when 
all  the  waters  were  locked  in  crystal  prisons,  and  plant  and  animal  life 
were  unknown.  The  war  of  the  elements  ensued ; the  ice  king  retreated 
before  the  equatorial  god ; the  silence  of  the  solitude  was  broken  by  the 
grinding  and  crashing  of  the  glaciers.  The  white  pinnacles  of  the  ice- 
floes melted  away,  and  in  their  place  of  desolation  rose  the  mountains  of  a 
productive  land  ; instead  of  the 
icy  fields  and  frozen  spikes 
came  fertile  valleys,  with  trees, 
plants,  and  flowers ; in  place 
of  the  bitter  cold,  the  balmy 
climate ; on  the  scene  of  life- 
lessness, a race  of  human  beings. 

This  is  the  mysterious  and  awe- 
inspiring picture  of  the  birth  of 
a world. 

Captain  Cook’s  discovery  of 
this  group  of  islands  was  an 
accident.  The  British  govern- 
ment, pleased  with  this  great 
navigator’s  previous  voyages 
of  exploration  in  the  then  un- 
known Pacific  Ocean,  with  the 
counsel  and  assistance  of  Lord 
Sandwich  of  the  Admiralty, 
fitted  him  out  for  a third  trip,  placing  under  his  command  the  two  ships 
Resolution  and  Discovery..  He  sailed  from  Plymouth,  England,  July  12, 
177(),  only  eight  days  after  the  signing  of  the  Declaration  of  Independ- 
ence by  the  representatives  of  the  thirteen  colonies  of  America. 

Captain  Cook  s orders  were  to  revisit  the  islands  of  the  southern  seas, 
where  he  had  twice  wintered,  “ to  disseminate  and  naturalise  ” some  of  the 
useful  animals  of  Europe  in  that  remote  region,  and  to  find  a northern 
passage  to  the  Atlantic  Ocean.  Tie  cruised  around  in  the  Polynesian  Archi- 
pelago for  a year  and  a half,  leaving  on  the  different  islands  those  domestic 


CAPTAIX  COOK. 


HAWAII. 


animals  which  have  proved  of  such  value  to  the  inhabitants.  Then  he 
sailed  from  the  Society  Islands  on  his  way  to  the  north. 

On  the  eighteenth  of  January,  1778,  he  sighted  the  island  of  Oahu,  and, 
sailing  along  its  southwestern  coast,  the  next  day  he  discovered  the  islands 
of  Niihau  and  Kauai.  The  following  morning,  January  20th,  he  anchored 
at  Waimea,  on  the  shore  of  Kauai,  a place  noted  in  the  traditions  of  the 
natives  as  having  been  the  battle-ground  of  ancient  kings. 

As  the  vessels  sailed  up  the  coast,  the  inhabitants  of  the  island  began  to 
appear  in  large  groups,  alarmed  and  mystified  over  the  arrival  of  the 
strange  ships.  In  such  numbers  did  the  natives  rush  to  the  water’s  edge, 
as  the  first  boat  started  for  the  shore,  Captain  Cook  ordered  a volley  of 

shot  to  be  fired  over  their 
heads.  One  of  the  excited 
mob  was  killed,  but,  as  the 
firing  was  not  continued,  the 
natives  received  their  visitors 
in  a friendly  manner.  Pres- 
ents were  exchanged,  and 
the  newcomers  were  highly 
pleased  with  what  they  saw. 

After  staying  on  this  island 
a few  days,  and  laying  in 
a fresh  stock  of  water  and 
provision,  the  English  ships 
headed  away  to  Niihau,  where  they  remained  until  February  2d.  Believ- 
ing he  had  discovered  a group  of  islands,  Captain  Cook  named  them  for 
his  patron,  Lord  Sandwich,  and  set  sail  for  the  polar  regions,  on  what  he 
fondly  anticipated  was  his  homeward  voyage. 

In  sight  of  the  beach  at  Waimea  is  still  pointed  out  a large,  flat  rock, 
bearing  the  mark  of  a broad  arrow,  claimed  to  have  been  made  by  Captain 
Cook  to  designate  the  place  of  his  first  landing.  In  the  village  are  three 
other  stones  with  similar  markings  made  by  the  English  commander  for 
the  same  purpose. 

His  northern  voyage  proving  a disappointment,  though  he  explored  the 
coast  of  Alaska,  Bering  Strait,  and  the  Arctic  Ocean  until  finding  his 
progress  stopped  by  the  ice-fields,  Captain  Cook  was  glad  to  return  to  the 


HAWAIIAN  COAT  OF  ARMS. 


f, 


THE  FAR  EAST. 


south,  where  lie  might  spend  the  approaching  winter,  to  resume  his  search 
for  the  northern  passage  another  summer. 

On  the  morning  of  November  26th,  he  sighted  for  the  first  time  the 
island  of  Maui,  and  he  anchored  at  Wailua.  The  news  of  his  visit  to 
Kauai  seemed  to  have  preceded  him  here,  for  he  was  greeted  by  a larger 
crowd  than  before,  that  considered  him  as  a god,  and  his  followers  as 
supernatural  beings.  TIis  ships  were  thought  to  be  moving  islands,  which 


could  send  forth  thunder  and  lightning  at  the  command  of  their  master. 
The  natives  showed  no  signs  of  hostility. 

After  laying  off  Maui  several  days,  during  which  time  he  had  a brisk 
trade  with  the  inhabitants,  Captain  Cook  sailed  along  the  coast  until,  on 
the  thirtieth,  he  discovered  the  island  of  Hawaii.  Judging  this  to  be 
larger  and  of  more  importance  than  the  others,  he  decided  to  make  its 
circuit,  which  took  him  seven  weeks  before  he  dropped  anchor  in  the 
ill-fated  bay  of  Kealakekua.  lie  bad  called  at  numerous  villages  on  his 
trip,  and  everywhere  had  been  treated  with  generosity  and  loaded  with 


HAWAII. 


divine  honours.  Here  over  a thousand  canoes  swarmed  in  the  waters 
around  his  ships,  most  of  them  crowded  with  people,  and  laden  with  the 
richest  tributes  the  land  afforded,  choice  fowls  and  hogs,  fruits  and  vege- 
tables of  many  kinds  and  rare  excellence.  In  all  that  vast  number  not  a 
weapon  was  to  be  seen,  one  and  all  having  come  to  pay  their  free  and 
spontaneous  worship  to  the  newcomers. 

No  sooner  had  the  English  commander  and  a portion  of  his  crews  gone 

ashore,  than  the  natives  an- 
nounced a season  of  festivi- 
ties and  sacrificial  ceremonies 
to  their  visitors.  Captain 
Cook  was  looked  upon  as  the 
reincarnation  of  their  god 
Lono,  whose  return  to  the 
earth  their  high  priests  bad 
prophesied,  and  he  was  es- 
corted to  the  heiau  or  temple 
built  in  his  honour,  while 
the  people  and  chiefs,  even 
to  the  king,  prostrated  them- 
selves before  him. 

Captain  Cook  and  his 
reckless  tars  quickly  caught 
the  spirit  of  their  tempters, 
and  for  eighteen  days  they 
revelled  in  the  prodigal  sim- 
plicity of  their  worshippers. 
There,  under  the  dome  of 
the  sleeping  Hualalai,  on  the  rich  lava  beds  budded  by  this  mighty  volcano 
in  the  centuries  unrecorded,  and  fringed  with  tall,  sinuous,  dark-crested 
cocoa-palms,  half  concealing  the  sea  below,  unrestrained  nature  ran  riot 
with  itself. 

Then  the  visitors  grew  overbearing  and  independent.  The  temple  of 
the  gods  was  turned  into  an  observatory  ; the  consecrated  platform  was 
transformed  into  a sail-loft ; the  sacred  palisades  ol  the  heiau  were  carried 
away  to  be  used  as  fuel  to  cook  the  food  of  these  newcomers ! At  first 


8 


THE  FAR  EAST. 


amazed,  the  spectators  became  indignant.  It  had  been  enough  that  their 
rich  presents  had  been  reciprocated  by  a few  hatchets  and  knives,  and 
their  magnificent  gifts  of  feather  mantles  and  helmets  had  been  taken 
without  thanks. 

Though  they  prudently  remained  peaceful,  it  must  have  been  with 
secret  pleasure  that  they  saw  the  ships  sail  away  with  their  visitors  on 
February  4th. 

The  joy  of  the  islanders  proved  short-lived.  Off  Kawaihae  the  ship 


COCOANUT  ISLAND,  CORAL  REEFS. 


Resolution  sprung  a foremast  in  buffeting  a gale,  and  Captain  Cook 
returned  to  his  old  anchorage  to  repair  the  damage.  Carpenters  were 
sent  ashore  to  work  upon  the  injured  mast,  when  the  natives  treated  them 
coldly.  rI  he  king  was  away,  but  the  priests  remained  friendly,  and  the 
sailors  did  not  hesitate  to  show  their  authority,  which  further  incensed 
the  people.  Some  of  them  stole  a pinnace  for  its  iron  fastenings,  which 
so  angered  Captain  Cook  that  he  resolved  to  capture  the  king,  who  had 
returned,  and  hold  him  as  a hostage  until  the  stolen  property  had  been 
restored.  Protected  by  a body-guard  of  his  marines,  Cook  went  at  once  to 


OAHU 


lf'ainiea  Ba 
Halolivi 


V0\A'oftana  Bay 
\ ^jLLncoka  Oio  Point 
“A^^W^Ikano  qj{£  II ARDOR 
\ jtA^'.Mokapu  Point 

„A  vJ"\  Mokoixa  I. 

.C^V  °oV  A*-T 

„ V < >/  \Xailua  Day 
>xc  <yV: Mokolua  Islands 

*y  <Tt  O,  /vWVninionalo 

Vr\  °\  V*Nw  *0K*nMa*ASA  IfLAND 
'fl  " ^-^TL^Koko  Hcud 


[Waialua 


Knona  Point 


CRUZ,  Mexico, 


,560  MILES 


Wainnae’ 


TO  ACAPULCO,  MEXICO, 


PANAMA,  C. 


MOLOKAI 


Barbers  PointV 

'iA>Ss 

'6/  MILES  pfi  A 


HONGKONG, 


u,nakakai  Landing 

. v>""^°  Pu* 


MAUI 


miles 


WailukiKj^ji^^  ? 

I KaluiuTTV  N 

i pneinLeu  Ka,utt 

. i Maalnea  Bay  ) 

K iheiyV 


Knena  Point. 

Honopux 
Fivo  Noedlcs^ 
( 120  feet) 


Keoinuku^ 

LAHAINA 


Keanao* 


Landing^ 

Nabikuo 


.leok®!1*'1 
lCoP'^jan^ 
^Kauiki  Head 
•Klau  I. 


LANAI 


Waiakoa 


Hamoa 


Work.  I 


HONOLULU 

Statute  Mile. 


WAILUKU. 


cHANNBL 


KAHOtH-AWE 


Moloki 


'"an/oa 


Kcalaikahaki  l 
Point 


Honoipnj 

Landing. 


'''  Scales. 

Statute  Miles,  21  *=  1 Inch. 


Kohala 


JarborW  Mahubona 
jandingl 


Hunokaa 1 


_ .. 

Kawaihae  Cs  /_ 

? KOHALA  fL 

U Katimola 


, McNally  & 0o.’i  New  11  * 14  Map  of  Ha 
Copyright,  1008.  by  Rand,  McNally  & Co. 


PaauHo 


Kaival 


Lsupahyf’l  tairS^vA 
/PapaaloaV, 


Laiumiio  Table 


Ilonokaope  Bay 
lvaal  au  Poinui 


HokalauV'V 

Honomuu-}, 

Pepeckeooi 

Papaikou! 


HAMAKUA 


\ Kllioto . 

Mahewalti  Pointj 
Papilla  Point  r 
Nawili  Pointer 
Makoloa  Point/ 


I Kahala  Point 


PA  . ..nd\T»6 
4 Lclolwi  Point 


' Konlia0 

KAWAIHAU  n 
^Kapaao/ 


iKapaa  Landing 

KAUAI 


iHualalai 


Keaholo  Point! 
Wawahiwaa  Point1-* 
Kaiwi  Point 
Kailua  Bay 
Kamoa  Poir 


’ / W A I) 
Kalehumakak ' 
Mann  Pointf  Mona  Walj; 


Table /Land 


Kailua  rl 

VHolualoa 

t\  KONA 

IpKeauhou 
£ 0Koalakekua 


’Ilanamaiilu  Bay 


NIIHAU 


Konolo  Point’ 


ilitoili  Harbor 
ftntjli  Landing 


Kekah^ 

Via'1 


Kurtis 

MountainvL 


Pauwai  Point 
Kena  Point  s' 


Mauna  Loa 

18,675 


Keikiwaha  Po  i 


Cooks  Monument 
^pNnpoopoo 


1 Pnko  P 


Cooks  A nchoragirk 
Pahau  Point! 

Kaumuhonu  V 


Volcano  Hous 

Kilauea  i&t 
4,000  ^ 


'Cape  Kawaliiou 


Honauuay  Bay£l 
Hookenav 
Kauhako  Bay$\ 
Lepean  on  Rock . 
Kauli  oa  Point1 


Halfway  House 


YOKOHAMA 


J*PAN, 


honqxonq. 


Coauliou 


>«/  M/les 

man/ la,  ~ 


Pahala 


" A a (ja  m 

pac7p,-c 


Western  Islands 


punaluu  Landing 


OLoc  Landing  ip  Hanamalo^, 


Honuapo. 


HAWAII 


Waiobinu 1 


Points 


ON  SAME  SCALE  AS  MAIN  MAP. 


MARSHALL  JONES  COMPANY,  PUBLISHERS,  BOSTON 


HAWAII. 


0 


the  home  of  the  aged  king,  who,  like  his  priests,  still  kept  his  faith  with 
them,  and  enticed  him  to  go  on  board  the  ship. 

Already  the  natives  had  swarmed  in  the  waters  about  the  vessels,  and 
the  officer  left  in  command  ordered  that  a shot  be  fired  to  frighten  them 
off.  One  of  the  shots  took  effect  in  a chief.  Meanwhile  the  chiefs  and 
people  on  the  shore  were  protesting  against  the  treatment  accorded  their 
king.  The  islanders  were  now  armed  with  spears  and  hatchets,  and  so 
threatening  did  the  mob  become  that  Captain  Cook  advanced  with  all 


MURDER  OF  CAPTAIX  COOK. 
( From  a rare  old  print.) 


haste  possible.  Upon  reaching  the  beach  a tall  islander  sprang  in  front  of 
him,  declaring  that  he  had  killed  his  brother.  Thereupon  Cook  fired  but 
missed  him.  At  that  moment  some  one  from  the  wild  rabble  threw  a 
stone,  which  struck  Captain  Cook  and  brought  a groan  from  him.  He 
now  fired  his  second  pistol,  killing  his  man  this  time.  But  the  cry  of 
anguish  coming  from  his  lips  caused  one  of  his  assailants  to  shout : 

“ He  feels  pain  ! He  is  not  a god  ! ” 

The  islanders  now  rushed  upon  the  seamen  so  furiously  that  they  were 
ompelled  to  beat  a disorderly  retreat,  four  of  their  number  being  killed. 


10 


THE  FAR  EAST. 


FOLIAGE  AND  FLOWERS  OF  THE  NIGIIT-BLOOMING  CEUEUS. 


HAWAII. 


11 


The  others  escaped  by  swimming  to  the  boats,  leaving  their  commander 
surrounded  by  the  excited  natives.  He  signalled  to  his  men  to  stop  firing 
and  come  to  his  assistance.  At  that  moment  a chief  ran  up  behind  him 
and  plunged  an  iron  dagger  through  his  body.  He  fell  face  downward  in 
the  water,  his  body  seized  and  dragged  away  by  the  infuriated  mob. 

Firing  was  resumed  by  the  seamen,  but  the  king  called  off  his  people 
and  the  scene  became  quiet.  Captain  Clark,  now  in  command,  as  soon  as 
he  deemed  it  expedient,  sent  ashore  for  the  body  of  Captain  Cook,  though 


MONUMENT  TO  CAPTAIN  COOK. 


only  a portion  of  his  lower  limbs  was  to  be  found.  The  incensed  island- 
ers had  burned  the  rest,  except  the  heart,  which  was  eaten  by  some 
ehildren  through  mistake,  which  gave  rise  to  the  story  that  the  natives 
were  cannibals. 

Now  that  the  unhappy  affair  was  over,  the  people  showed  genuine  sorrow 
over  the  untimely  fate  of  the  great  navigator,  whose  memory  is  revered  to 
this  day  by  the  Hawaiians.  Captain  Cook  was  a brave  and  efficient  officer, 
doing  more  than  all  others  toward  enlightening  the  world  in  regard  to  the 
islands  of  that  remote  quarter  of  the  globe ; but  he  was  quick-tempered, 
and  possessed  unbridled  imperiousness,  which  brought  him  his  death  at 


12 


THE  FAR  EAST. 


the  hands  of  those  who  had  gratuitously  provisioned  his  ships,  and  every- 
where lavished  upon  him  the  attention  and  worshipfulness  due  to  a god. 
If  carrying  to  the  enlightened  world  a knowledge  of  their  existence, 
these  visitors  Avere  to  leave  with  these  simple  people  a disease  which  was  to 
render  sad  havoc  in  their  numbers  and  happiness. 

The  importance  Captain  Cook  attached  to  his  discovery  of  these  islands 
is  told  in  his  own  words,  the  last  entry  he  made  in  his  journal  kept  of  that 
long  and  eventful  voyage  : 

“ We  could  not  but  be  struck  with  the  singularity  of  this  scene ; and 
perhaps  there  were  few  on  board  who  now  lamented  our  having  failed 
finding  a northern  passage  home  last  summer.  To  this  disappointment 
we  owed  our  having  it  in  our  power  to  revisit  the  Sandwich  Islands,  and 
to  enrich  our  voyage  with  a discovery  which,  though  last,  seemed  in 
many  respects  to  be  the  most  important  that  had  hitherto  been  made  by 
Europeans,  throughout  the  extent  of  the  Pacific  Ocean.” 

The  memory  of  this  great,  but  unfortunate,  navigator  is  preserved  by  a 
white  concrete  monument,  erected  by  some  of  his  fellow  countrymen  on 
the  spot,  as  nearly  as  could  be  ascertained,  where  he  fell.  It  bears  the 
following  inscription  : 

“ In  memory  of  the  great  circumnavigator,  Captain  James  Cook,  R.  N., 
who  discovered  these  islands  on  the  18th  of  January,  1778,  A.  D.,  and 
fell  near  this  spot  on  the  14th  of  February,  1770.  This  Monument  was 
erected  in  November,  A.  D.  1874,  by  some  of  his  countrymen.” 

Thus,  while  the  united  colonies  of  America  were  fighting  their  first  war 
for  independence  with  the  mother  country,  a son  of  the  latter  discovered 
and  explored  those  islands  in  the  distant  sea  which  were  destined  to 
become  eventually  a part  of  the  rising  republic. 


SHORE  NEAR  HILO. 


CHAPTER  II. 

TIIE  ISLAND  WONDERLAND. 

THE  last  and  largest  island  discovered  by  Captain  Cook  was  called 
by  the  natives  Hawaii,  — meaning  “ Fiery  Java,”  and  pronounced 
as  if  spelled  Hah-wah-ee,  accent  on  second  syllable,  — and  this 
name  lias  very  appropriately  been  adopted  as  a designation  for  the  entire 
group  in  place  of  that  of  the  Sandwich  Islands. 

The  coasts  of  these  islands  are  often  bold,  rocky,  and  precipitous,  cliffs 
rising  for  hundreds  of  feet  perpendicularly  from  the  water.  Yet  there 
are  sheltered  bays,  and  Oahu  has  one  of  the  finest  harbours  in  the  world. 
There  are  at  different  places  along  the  shores  dangerous  reefs,  beautiful 
fringes  of  coral,  or  long,  wide  stretches  of  yellow  beach,  where  the  mur- 
muring tide  kissed  by  the  trade-winds  plays  at  hide-and-seek  with  harmless 
glee. 

The  larger  portion  of  the  surface  of  the  islands  is  mountainous,  two  of 
the  interior  peaks  reaching  an  altitude  of  nearly  fourteen  thousand  feet ; 
but  at  their  foot  lie  rich  alluvial  plains,  plateaus,  and  valleys,  with  silvery 
streams  leaping  in  cascades  from  the  overhanging  cliffs.  With  few  excep- 
tions the  mountainsides  are  clothed  in  dense  growths  of  temperate  zone 


14 


THE  FAR  EAST. 


sturdiness,  while  the  lowlands  abound  with  a tropical  vegetation  of  a 
perpetual  green. 

Evidence  of  the  volcanic  origin  of  these  islands  exists  on  every  hand, 
from  the  dead  and  buried  cones  of  Kauai  to  the  living  fires  of  Hawaii. 
By  this  it  will  be  observed  that  the  former,  as  well  as  being  the  most 
northerly,  is  the  oldest  of  the  series.  This  theory  is  supported  by  the  fact 
that  only  two  cones  remain  on  this  isle,  and  these  on  the  southeastern 
slope.  All  others  have  been  destroyed  by  the  march  of  years,  and  their 


IIANAPEPE  FALLS,  KAUAI. 


slopes  covered  with  dense  forests.  The  land  having  undergone  longer 
change,  is  more  arable,  the  soil  deeper,  and  the  vegetation  more  bountiful 
than  on  the  other  islands.  Encircled  by  beaches  of  silvery  brightness, 
with  valleys  and  hillsides  painted  by  nature’s  brush  a green  that  never 
fades,  Kauai  is  the  “ Garden  Isle.” 

Lying  in  a westerly  direction,  about  fifteen  miles  distant,  is  Niiliau, 
resembling  it  in  physical  features.  This  island  is  sparsely  settled,  its 
inhabitants  being  formerly  noted  for  the  manufacture  of  mats  made  from 
a sort  of  rush  which  grows  only  on  this  island  and  Kauai,  and  is  now  the 
largest  sheep  range  among  the  islands. 


HAWAII. 


15 


Kaula,  southwest  from  Kauai,  is  a barren  rock,  which  is  the  resort  of 
innumerable  aquatic  birds,  whose  eggs  are  sometimes  sought  by  the  inhabi- 
tants of  the  windward  islands. 

Oahu,  the  following  island  on  the  southeasterly  course,  produces  more 
recent  and  numerous  indications  of  its  volcanic  formation ; but  here  are 
valleys  of  great  fertility,  and  a mountain  range  of  rugged  appearance.  On 
account  of  its  fine  harbour  at  Honolulu,  it  is  known  as  the  “ Mistress  of 
the  Sea.” 


WAIKAUI  FALLS,  MAUI. 


Maui,  next  in  order,  attests  its  younger  age,  having  several  craters,  the 
largest  and  highest  of  which  is  Haleakala,  “the  house  of  the  sun,”  which 
lifts  its  bulky  crest  ten  thousand  feet  into  the  air,  beiny;  the  largest  extinct 
volcano  in  the  world.  Maui  is  the  “ Switzerland  of  the  Hawaiian  Islands.” 
South  of  Maui,  separated  by  a channel  of  only  a few  miles  in  width,  is 
Kahoolawe,  with  its  lowlands,  except  for  a species  of  coarse  grass,  almost 
destitute  of  plant  life.  It  is  uninhabited,  stock  owners  of  Maui,  to 
which  island  it  no  doubt  sometime  belonged,  having  it  as  pasturage  for 
their  flocks. 


16 


THE  FAR  EAST. 


Between  these  two  islands  rises  a rocky  barrier,  Molokini,  used  as  a 
place  for  the  fishermen  to  spread  their  nets. 

Lanai,  separated  from  Maui  by  a channel  of  ten  miles  in  width,  has 
but  recently  become  valuable  for  sheep  raising  and  sugar  growing. 

East-southeast  of  Oahu  is  a chain  of  volcanic  mountains  nearly  equal 
in  elevation  to  those  of  Maui,  which  form  in  the  main  the  island  of 
Molokai,  a long,  irregular  ridge,  with  little  level  land  and  few  plantations, 
and  the  unenviable  reputation  of  being  the  lazaretto  of  exiled  lepers. 

The  youngest  and  mightiest  of  the  group  is  the  one  from  which  it  gets 
its  name,  unfinished  Hawaii,  still  smoking,  still  exhibiting  to  the  wondering 


HONOLULU  HARBOUR  FROM  GOVERNMENT  BUILDING. 


beholder  the  sublime  agency  of  its  creation.  This  island  is  famous  for  its 
physical  grandeur  and  volcanic  exhibitions.  The  legends  of  the  Hawaiians, 
reaching  back  over  a thousand  years,  fail  to  mention  any  activity  of  vol- 
canic force  on  the  other  islands.  The  fires  of  Maui’s  mammoth  house  of  the 
sun  burned  out  before  man  beheld  its  riven  walls,  while  concerning  the  erup- 
tions of  the  lower  and  lesser  craters  the  ancient  historian  is  equally  silent. 
What  a grand,  yet  terrible,  spectacle  it  must  have  been  when  all  the  flues 
of  these  mountain  furnaces  were  aglow  with  their  liquid  flame,  which  in 
their  bombardment  of  the  sky  fairly  set  ablaze  the  moonless  heavens  and 
the  eight  Hawaiian  seas ! But  if  tradition  fails  to  describe  the  activity 
of  the  volcanoes  of  the  other  islands,  it  is  very  vivid  in  its  pictures  of 
Hawaii’s  volcanic  outbreaks.  Mauna  Kea  (the  white  mountain),  Manna 


Native  Straw  Hut,  Hawaii 


HAWAII. 


17 


Loa  (the  long  mountain),  Mauna  Haulalai  (offspring  of  the  sun)  at  irregular 
intervals  have  each  displayed  their  awful  energies  in  convulsions  that  have 
rocked  the  island  like  a cradle  on  the  deep  and  Hung  their  molten  contents 
down  the  slopes  to  the  sea.  A still  more  realistic  representative  of  the 
fiery  powers  is  the  ever  active  Kilauea,  with  a crater  nearly  nine  miles  in 
circumference,  the  largest  constant  volcano  in  the  world. 

With  a uniformity  and  salubrity  of  climate  unsurpassed,  the  mean  tem- 
perature never  rising  above 
ninety  or  sinking  below 
sixty  degrees,  and  whose 
southern  languor  is  con- 
tinually refreshed  by  the 
ozone  breath  of  the  polar 
seas;  with  plains  and 
slopes  of  remarkable  fer- 
tility covered  with  vast 
cane-fields  and  sugar  plan- 
tations, groves  of  kingly 
palms,  sturdy  ironwoods, 
delicate  tamarinds,  feathery 
algarobas,  star-eyed  or- 
anges, dusky  ohicis,  snowy 
candlenuts,  sunlit  papaias , 
umbrageous  bread  f ruits, 
flowering  mangoes,  wine- 
palms,  slender  cocoa-palms, 
hardy  pomegranates, 

. . , T . . , HIGHEST  POINT  IN  THE  CRATER  OF  KILAUEA. 

twisted  rictus  and  wide- 

spreading  umbrella-trees,  of  plants  and  vegetables,  the  fan-leafed  banana, 
tree-like  plantain,  giant  fern,  clinging  azella,  nutritive  yam,  bulburous 
taro , crimson  strawberry,  and  many  others,  the  united  offerings  of  the 
tropical  and  temperate  zones  growing  side  by  side ; with  a flora  that  does 
not  stop  by  decorating  the  rich  alluvial  deposits  of  the  valleys  in  a bewil- 
dering array  of  flowers  and  reminders  of  flowers,  but  fringes  the  brinks 
of  the  chasms  with  the  scarlet  vine  ie-ie  and  spans  the  abyss  with  a net- 
work of  gold  and  bronze  vines  tipped  with  trumpet-shaped  blossoms,  tints 


18 


TIIE  FAR  EAST. 


the  mist  of  the  waterfalls  with  the  rainbow  hues  of  the  convolvuli , or  crim- 
sons with  the  transparent  leaves  of  the  oliia  the  fiery  floods  of  the  craters ; 
with  gorgeous  vines  and  trailers,  magenta  blossoms  and  passion  flowers, 
embowering  the  homes  of  the  many  races  of  men  living  here  in  harmony 
and  contentment ; with  a landscape  clothed  in  a perpetual  green,  and 
mountain-tops  floating  like  white  and  brown  islands  in  cloudland ; with 

their  summer  seas  reflecting  the 
azure  of  the  southern  skies ; 
with  its  beaches  of  a dazzling- 
whiteness  fringed  with  cocoa- 
palms  ; over  all  an  indescribable 
charm  of  solitude  and  drowsy 
peacefulness,  to  him  who  looks 
for  the  sunny  side  of  nature 
the  Hawaiian  Islands  are  the 
“ Paradise  of  the  Pacific,”  the 
Wonderland  of  the  World. 

In  vivid  contrast  to  Oahu’s 
Edenic  valleys  and  Maui’s  pic- 
turesque slopes  rises  the  weather 
side  of  Hawaii,  lighted  by  that 
huge  lamp  trimmed  by  no 
mortal  hand,  but  kept  bright 
against  burning  sun  and  waxing 
moon  from  time  immemorial, 
and  overlooked  by  the  moun- 
tain monarch  with  foot  bathed 
in  the  sea  and  whitened  head 
swathed  in  the  clouds.  Every- 
where the  grandeur  and  sublimity  of  the  scene  strikes  the  beholder  with 
wonder  akin  to  awe.  He  gazes  on  the  corrugated  streams  of  congealed 
lava,  on  the  broken  domes  of  volcanoes  long  since  burned  out,  on  the 
furnace  fires  of  Kilauea,  sees  with  his  own  eyes  the  startling  evidence  of 
the  internal  powers  that  have  builded  the  mountains,  watches  the  crim- 
son fountains  play  on  the  surface  of  the  lake  of  fire  and  the  fantastic 
figures  dancing  in  ghoulish  glee  at  their  escape  from  the  Plutonian  dun- 


HAWAII. 


19 


geons  of  the  inner  earth,  until  he  exclaims  in  dismay,  “The  Inferno  of 
the  World ! ” 

The  indigenous  plants  are  the  banana,  plantain,  cocoanut,  breadfruit, 
oliia  (native  apple),  sugar-cane,  arrowroot,  sweet  potato,  taro,  strawberry, 
raspberry,  and  the  sacred  berry  olielo.  The  imported  plants  are  lime, 
orange,  mango,  tamarind,  papaia,  guava,  and  all  edible  products  except 
those  named  above. 


If  prodigal  in  her  floral  gifts 
nature  was  extremely  chary 
in  her  bestowal  of  wild  and 
domestic  creatures,  and  the 
fauna  of  the  islands  a hundred 
years  ago  was  limited  to  dogs, 
swine,  mice,  lizards,  owls,  bats, 
snipe,  plover,  ducks,  a species 
of  geese  peculiar  to  the  place, 
and  a few  varieties  of  birds  of 
simple  song  and  not  very  bril- 
liant plumage.  It  seems  prob- 
able that  animal  life  was 
almost  entirely  lacking  here 
when  first  peopled  by  tin* 
human  race. 

The  natives  accounted  for 
the  remarkable  uniformity  and 
salubrity  of  the  climate  by  the 
following  legendary  tale  of 
the  early  days  of  the  islands : 

A .powerful  demi-god  ruling 
over  Maui,  and  having  his  dwelling  on  Haleakala,  got  angry  because 
the  sun  shone  every  morning  on  the  mountains  of  Hawaii  before  it  did 
on  his  abode.  Thereupon  he  caused  to  be  made  a huge  net,  which  he 
carried  one  night  and  spread  it  quite  over  his  rival.  As  a result  the 
rising  sun  got  entangled  in  the  meshes  of  Maui’s  big  web,  which  had 
been  woven  so  cunningly  that  the  harder  the  sun  tried  to  break  away 
the  more  his  rays  got  mixed  up  in  the  gauze-like  structure.  Maui 


20 


TIIE  FAR  EAST. 


watched  the  struggle  with  a merry  twinkle  in  his  eye,  and  when  the  sun 
had  got  tired  of  his  futile  efforts,  he  offered  to  set  him  free  if  he  would 
promise  to  shine  on  him  and  Mauna  Loa  alike,  never  too  hot  or  too  cold, 
and  never  allowing  mist  or  cloud  to  obscure  the  favoured  islands.  The 
sun  was  fain  to  obtain  his  freedom  upon  such  easy  terms,  and,  agreeing  to 
Maui’s  demands,  received  his  liberty.  Ever  since  he  has  bestowed  his 
favour  with  wonderful  equality  on  the  seven  islands,  so  that  they  have 


TARO  PATCH. 

been  blessed  with  their  remarkable  climate  and  temperature.  Fogs  or 
mists  have  never  risen  to  mar  the  sun’s  splendour,  and  lest  he  should 
forget  his  promise  and  shine  too  fervidly  on  his  children  of  the  sea,  he 
made  a compact  with  the  north  wind  to  keep  perpetual  vigil  over  him. 


inviv  ‘oniunvi  a'inHv.iiH 


COCOANUT  GROVE. 

CHAPTER  III. 

A PICTURESQUE  PEOPLE. 

CAPTAIN  COOK  estimated  the  population  of  these  islands  to  be  not 
less  than  four  hundred  thousand,  and  that  Hawaii  alone  contained 
considerably  over  one  hundred  thousand  inhabitants. 

These  people  were  not  savages,  as  we  are  apt  to  apply  the  term,  but  bar- 
barians of  a milder  and  more  progressive  type.  In  personal  appearance 
they  were  generally  above  medium  stature,  well  formed,  with  muscular 
limbs,  frank  countenance,  and  features  often  resembling  the  Europeans. 
An  early  writer  in  describing  them  said : “ Their  gait  is  graceful  and 
sometimes  stately.  The  chiefs  in  particular  are  tall  and  stout,  and  their 
personal  appearance  is  so  much  superior  to  the  common  people  that  some 
have  imagined  them  a distinct  race.  This,  however,  is  not  the  fact ; the 
great  care  taken  of  them  in  childhood,  and  their  better  living,  have  proba- 
bly occasioned  the  difference.  Their  hair  is  black  or  brown,  strong,  and 

21 


22  the  far  east. 

frequently  curly ; their  complexion  is  neither  yellow  like  the  Malay  nor 
red  like  the  American  Indian,  but  a kind  of  olive  and  sometimes  reddish 
brown.  Their  arms  and  other  parts  of  the  body  are  often  tattooed,  but, 
except  in  one  of  the  islands  (Kauai),  this  is  by  no  means  as  common  as  in 
many  parts  of  the  southern  sea.” 

They  belonged  to  a branch  of  the  Polynesian  race,  which  was  undoubt- 
edly of  Aryan  stock,  migrating  at  a remote  period  from  Asia  Minor 
through  India,  Sumatra,  and  Java  to  the  Southern  Pacific  Islands,  from 

thence  advancing  slowly  north- 
ward to  New  Zealand,  Samoa, 
Tahiti,  and  Hawaii.  These 
facts  are  well  substantiated  by 
the  close  affinity  of  the  names 
of  localities,  men,  and  physical 
objects,  with  the  general  con- 
struction of  the  several  lan- 
guages, so  that  a person  master- 
ing one  can  easily  understand 
the  others. 

Early  accounts  of  the  people 
have  been  preserved  through 
an  order  of  priesthood,  which 
caused  to  be  committed  to 
memory  the  more  prominent 
affairs  of  each  family,  so  that 
handed  down  from  father  to  son 
successively  the  deeds  and  gene- 
alogies of  the  chiefs  could  be  traced  for  over  forty  generations.  These 
traditions,  a picturesque  background  for  its  romantic  modern  history, 
make  Hawaii  a wonderland  in  verity.  Their  legends  peopled  the  sea 
and  sky  with  all  sorts  of  weird  spirits  and  the  volcanic  craters  of  the 
island  world  with  demons  of  fantastic  figures  and  terrible  demeanour ; 
they  scintillated  with  deeds  of  prowess  and  chivalry,  if  wilder  and  more 
barbarous,  none  the  less  valorous  than  those  performed  by  the  mailed 
knights  of  the  continental  world  ; their  warriors,  without  shields  or  fear  of 
death,  sprang  to  battle  under  the  wings  of  the  great  white  bird  of 


HAWAIIAN  CHIEF  OF  OLDEN  TIMES  WITH 
FEATHER  HELMET. 


HAWAII. 


23 


Kane,  as  defiantly  as  the  rugged  vikings  of  Northland  followed  the 
dusky  ravens  of  Odin;  their  sailors,  in  frail  craft  and  under  the  sole 
guidance  of  the  sun  and  stars,  navigated  the  seas  for  thousands  of 
miles,  and  achieved  conquests  in  far  distant  lands ; one  of  their  boldest 
mariners,  in  the  eleventh  century,  reached  the  western  shore  of  America, 
and  carried  back  to  his  native  isles  as  captives  three  of  its  inhabi- 
tants ; their  kings  and  priests  were  men  of  mighty  stature,  proving  by 
their  genealogies  a descent  from  Adam  and  a kinship  with  the  gods. 

These  sages  describe  a re- 
nowned chief  by  the  name  of 
Hawaii,  a great  fisherman  and 
navigator  in  ancient  times, 
who,  on  one  of  his  long 
cruises,  discovered  two  islands 
that  pleased  him  so  well  he 
returned  and  brought  there 
his  wife  and  family.  The 
islands  he  named  Maui,  for 
his  wife,  and  Hawaii-loa  for 
himself,  and  this  family,  the 
legend  claims,  were  the  first 
inhabitants  of  the  islands. 

While  this  statement  is  to 
be  looked  upon  with  suspicion, 
there  is  a very  clear  account 
of  an  emigration  from  Samoa 
in  the  sixth  century  under 
a chief  named  Nanaula.  This  chief,  after  trouble  with  some  of  his 
relatives  in  regard  to  ruling  his  native  isle,  gathered  a portion  of  his  most 
adventurous  followers  about  him  ; and  in  double  canoes,  large  enough  to 
hold  from  fifty  to  one  hundred  persons,  this  party,  accompanied  by  their 
priests,  taking  with  them  their  gods,  dogs,  swine,  fowls,  and  seeds,  set 
forth  into  the  unknown  sea  on  a voyage  of  discovery.  They  reached 
Oahu  and  Kauai,  which  they  found  unpeopled,  and  took  peacefid  posses- 
sion. They  were  soon  followed  by  a few  others  from  Samoa  and  Tahiti, 
when  immigration  ceased  for  over  four  hundred  years. 


A YOUNG  GIRL. 


24 


THE  FAR  EAST. 


Then  another  warlike  chief  of  Samoa,  known  as  Nanamoa,  not  satisfied 
with  fighting  at  home,  set  out  on  a voyage  of  conquest,  eventually  coming 
to  the  Hawaiian  Islands.  A long  and  desperate  struggle  with  the  descend- 
ants of  Nanaula  for  a supremacy  followed.  Other  incursions  succeeded, 
one  of  which  brought  from  Samoa  Paao,  a high  priest,  and  Pili,  a warlike 
chief,  and  Hawaii  passed  under  the  sovereignty  of  these  two.  Intercourse 
was  maintained  with  the  southern  islands  for  one  hundred  and  fifty  years, 


OUTRIGGER  BOATS. 


according  to  all  accounts,  an  unusually  active  period,  filled  with  romantic 
adventures,  wild  conquests,  and  perilous  vo}'ages  at  sea. 

Isolated  and  environed  by  water,  dependent  to  a considerable  extent 
upon  the  fruits  of  the  sea  for  their  living,  the  inhabitants  of  the  Pacific 
islands  naturally  partook  of  a maritime  character.  The  Hawaiian  was 
in  his  true  element  when  disporting  in  the  tide,  or  daring  the  dangers  of 
old  ocean  in  his  craft  with  its  curved  prow  and  clumsy-looking  outrigger. 

The  building  of  their  seagoing  craft,  with  the  tools  the  mechanic  had 
to  use,  required  no  small  amount  of  time,  skill,  and  perseverance.  Thus 
the  builder  of  a canoe  became  a person  of  great  importance,  and  the 


I 


LANDING  THROUGH  TDK  SURF. 


HAWAII. 


25 


launching  of  his  craft  an  event  celebrated  with  a feast  and  the  sacrifice 
of  a human  life. 

There  were  several  classes,  as  well  as  sizes  and  shapes  of  canoes.1  The 
principal  chiefs  had  boats  from  fifty  to  seventy-five  feet  in  length,  two 
feet  in  width,  and  from  three  to  four  feet  in  depth.  The  sterns  were 
often  ornamented  with  crude  carvings  of  grotesque  figures.  The 
size  and  decorations  were  supposed  to  indicate  the  rank  and  dignity 
of  the  chief. 


WAR  CANOE,  OLDEN  TIME. 


Next  to  these  were  the  sacred  craft  of  the  priests,  their  ornaments  set 
off  with  feathers.  Small  houses  were  built  on  these,  containing  the  image 
of  some  god,  usually  in  the  shape  of  a bird,  and  many  coloured  feathers 
decked  the  place.  Here  the  prayers  for  the  welfare  of  the  little  fleet  were 
offered,  and  offerings  made  to  Lono,  the  god  of  the  waters. 

Not  inferior  in  size,  though  less  ornamented,  were  the  stoutly  built  war 
canoes.  With  these  the  sterns  were  made  lower  and  covered  so  as  to 
afford  protection  from  the  darts  and  missiles  of  the  enemy.  The  bottom 

1 This  name  seems  to  hare  originated  with  the  natives  of  America,  and,  since  the  discovery 
of  this  continent  by  Columbus,  to  have  been  applied  indiscriminately  to  the  smaller  water 
craft  of  the  uncivilised  races  wherever  found.  — Author. 


26 


THE  FAR  EAST. 


was  round,  with  the  upper  sides  narrow,  and  the  prow  curved  like  the 
neck  of  a swan  and  finished  to  represent  the  head  of  some  bird.  In 
order  to  give  the  rowers  and  sail-managers  more  room  and  security 
than  on  the  narrow  edges,  a sort  of  grating  made  from  the  strong 
wood  of  the  breadfruit-tree  was  placed  over  the  hull.  The  fighting 
men  were  stationed  on  a platform  in  the  forepart  of  the  boat.  Ordi- 
narily these  craft  were  about  sixty  feet  in  length,  and  capable  of  carrying 
fifty  warriors. 

There  were  single  canoes  built  in  very  much  the  same  style  as  the 
others,  hewn  from  the  trunk  of  some  tree,  with  rounded  sides  and  sharp 


NATIVE  BOATS. 


ends.  Then  there  were  the  big  double  canoes,  made  from  two  tree-trunks, 
and  sometimes  over  a hundred  feet  in  length. 

The  very  largest  of  the  canoes  were  made  from  the  trees  that  had 
drifted  down  there  from  the  northwest  coast  of  America,  some  giant  pine 
caught  by  a gale  and  borne  thither,  a present  of  the  waves  attributed 
by  them  to  be  a gift  from  the  gods.  One  of  the  single-trunk  canoes  has 
been  known  to  be  over  a hundred  feet  in  length.  In  case  of  the  double- 
trunk canoe  the  builders  had  often  to  wait  years  before  a proper  mate  to 
the  one  coming  first  would  be  sent  to  their  shores.  The  coming  of  such 
was  an  event  of  great  rejoicing,  and  a feast  followed  with  a sacrifice  made 
to  the  gods. 

The  canoes  always  bore  particular  names,  which  designated  some 


HAWAII. 


27 


COCO  AN  UT  ISLAND. 


28 


TIIE  FAR  EAST. 


important  incident  connected  with  the  craft,  or  some  peculiar  character- 
istic of  the  boat  or  its  owner. 

The  navigators  of  those  days  had  a certain  knowledge  of  the  heavens, 
and  the  five  planets,  Mercury,  Mars,  Venus,  Jupiter,  and  Saturn,  were 
known  to  them  as  “ the  wandering  stars,”  while  they  grouped  the  fixed 
stars  in  constellations.  They  calculated  the  transit  of  the  sun  and  fixed 
the  equatorial  line.  With  such  understanding  and  a trained  observation 
of  the  winds  and  currents,  the  floating  debris  of  the  deep,  and  the  flight 
of  birds,  they  were  enabled  to  make  their  long,  dubious  voyages  with 
comparative  surety. 

The  social  and  civil  condition  of  the  ancient  Hawaiians  smacked  more 
of  despotism  than  that  of  any  other  Polynesian  race.  The  inhabitants 
were  divided  into  three  classes : the  nobility,  consisting  of  the  kings  and 
chiefs  of  different  ranks  ; the  priests  (kahunas),  including  also  sorcerers  and 
doctors ; the  common  people  (Makaainana),  or  labourers.  Between  the 
first  and  last  existed  a wide  gap,  which  was  of  a sacred  and  religious 
character.  The  chiefs  claimed  descent  from  the  gods,  and  were  allied  with 
invisible  powers.  In  support  of  this  they  compared  their  stature  and 
physique  with  the  common  people,  which  was  striking  proof  of  what  they 
said.  As  late  as  the  fifteenth  and  sixteenth  centuries  Hawaii  boasted 
of  such  kings  as  Kiha,  Liloa,  Umi,  and  Lono,  each  eight  or  nine  feet 
in  height,  and  correspondingly  broad  of  shoulder  and  girth.  Beyond 
these  rises  the  gigantic  figure  of  Kana,  the  son  of  Hina,  whose  height 
was  measured  by  paces. 

The  chiefs  were  the  sole  owners  of  the  soil,  and  considered  not 
only  that  the  land  was  theirs,  but  all  which  grew  upon  it,  the  fish 
swimming  in  the  sea,  the  time  and  the  production  of  those  under 
them.  This  was  according  to  the  belief  that  the  king,  of  superior 
birth,  naturally  owned  everything.  He  allowed  certain  portions  to 
be  held  by  his  chiefs  in  trust,  on  the  condition  that  they  render 
him  tribute  and  military  support.  Then  these  chiefs  in  turn  divided 
their  territory  among  under-chiefs,  who  in  a smaller  way  paid  a like 
return  to  them  that  they  gave  the  king.  These  divisions  and  sub-divi- 
sions never  reached  to  the  toilers,  the  slaves  of  the  soil,  who  did  the  brunt 
of  the  work,  and  must  feel  amply  rewarded  if  privileged  to  live  as  poor 
tenants. 


HAWAII. 


29 


The  head  chief  of  an  island  was  styled  moi,  and  his  prestige  and  power 
were  usually  inherited.  Of  so  much  importance  was  he,  that  when  he  went 
abroad  he  was  attended  by  a body-guard,  the  foremost  of  which  bore 
plumed  staffs  of  bright  colours.  Did  he  go  by  canoe,  his  sails  were 
painted  red,  and  he  was  the  only  person  who  could  wear  the  feather 
cloak  and  helmet.  The  common  people  were  expected  to  prostrate  them- 
selves on  the  ground  as  he  and  his  retinue  passed.  It  was  the  signing 
of  his  death-warrant  for  a common  person  to  remain  standing  at  the 


INTERIOR  OF  NATIVE  HOUSE. 


mention  of  the  king’s  name,  at  the  mere  taking  past  him  of  the  monarch’s 
food,  water,  or  raiment ; to  put  on  any  article  of  dress  belonging  to  him, 
to  enter  his  presence  without  permission,  to  cross  his  shadow  or  even  that 
of  his  dwelling.  If  a man  dared  to  enter,  after  due  consent  from  his 
sovereign,  the  latter’s  abode,  he  must  crawl  flat  upon  the  ground,  and 
depart  in  the  same  humble  manner. 

Lacking  metals  of  all  kinds,  the  early  Hawaiians  made  their  implements 
of  war  or  industry  from  wood,  bone,  or  stone,  — axes,  adzes,  hammers  of 
stone,  spades  of  wood,  knives  of  flint  and  ivory.  Needles  were  made 
of  thorns  or  bones,  and  spears  and  daggers  of  hardened  wood.  With  such 


3(1 


TIIE  FAR  EAST. 


tools  as  these  they  felled  trees,  from  which  they  built  their  temples, 
canoes  and  barges,  dwellings,  manufactured  cloth  and  cordage,  made  walls 
of  hewn  stone,  built  roads  and  fish-ponds,  and  tilled  the  soil.  They  wove 
mats,  cloths,  sails,  and  from  the  inner  bark  of  the  paper  mulberry  beat 
out  a thin  cloth  called  kapa,  which  they  sometimes  ornamented  with 
figures  and  made  in  different  colours. 

They  ate  the  flesh  of  nearly  everything  living  in  the  sea,  as  well  as 
that  of  swine,  dogs,  and  fowls,  yams,  sweet  potatoes,  fruits,  berries,  and 
several  kinds  of  seaweed,  besides 
the  staple  of  their  foods,  poi,  a 
sort  of  fermented  paste  made 
from  taro,  a bulbous  root  very 
similar  to  an  Indian  turnip. 

They  drank  an  intoxicating  bev- 
erage made  from  the  sweet  root 
of  the  ti  plant,1  and  a stupefying 
liquor  from  the  aiva  root.  They 
did  their  cooking  by  wrapping 
their  food  in  ti  leaves  and  plac- 
ing it  in  an  underground  oven. 

Their  household  utensils  con- 
sisted of  shells,  gourds,  cala- 
bashes of  different  sizes  and 
shapes,  and  platters  made  of 
wood.  They  lighted  their  homes 
with  the  oily  nuts  of  the  ku-kui, 
or  candlenut-tree. 

The  dress  of  the  Hawaiian  consisted  simply  of  a narrow  mciro  fastened 
around  the  loins  for  the  male,  a pau  or  skirt  reaching  from  the  waist  to  the 
knees  for  the  female.  These  skirts  were  invariably  made  of  five  thick- 
nesses of  kapa,  and  when  the  weather  was  cool  a short  cape  was  thrown 
over  the  shoulders.  Generally  the  heads  of  both  sexes  were  uncovered. 

Besides  the  maro  the  king  wore  on  state  occasions  the  royal  mantle,  the 
mamo,  so  called  for  the  little  bird  that  furnished  the  feathers  to  make 
it.  This  mantle  reached  from  the  neck  to  the  ankle,  and  it  took  over  ten 
thousand  feathers  to  make  it.  As  each  bird  had  but  two  of  the  kind  of 

1 Introduced  by  Botany  Bay  convicts  at  beginning  of  present  century. 


HAWAII. 


31 


feathers  desired,  one  under  either  wing,  it  took  at  least  five  thousand  of 
them  to  afford  the  material  for  this  costly  garment. 

The  chiefs  wore  short  capes  of  yellow  feathers  mixed  with  red.  The 
colour  of  the  priests  and  gods  was  red.  The  nobility  had  feather  head- 
dresses, and  charms  of  bones  suspended  from  the  neck.  Some  of  them 
tattooed  their  faces,  breast,  and  thighs,  while  flowers  were  the  universal 
ornament.  At  festivals,  feasts,  and  other  gatherings,  all  wore  garlands 
of  beautiful  and  fragrant  leaves,  crowns  of  flowers  resting  on  the  head, 
and  wreaths  encircling  the  neck.  This  beautiful  custom  still  prevails. 


NATIVE  GitASS  HOUSE. 


The  dwellings  of  the  common  people  were  constructed  of  upright  posts 
planted  in  the  ground,  with  cross  beams  and  rafters,  roof  and  sides  con- 
structed of  twigs  woven  together  and  tilled  in  with  a thatch  of  grass. 

The  houses  of  the  nobility  were  larger,  stronger,  and  frequently  sur- 
rounded by  wide  verandas.  These  buildings  were  built  so  the  main 
entrance  faced  the  east,  the  home  of  Kane,  the  supreme  god.  These 
homes  consisted  of  six  separate  dwellings  or  apartments;  first,  the  heiau, 
or  idol  house;  second,  the  mau,  or  eating-house  of  the  males,  from  which 
the  females  were  prohibited  from  entering;  third,  the  hale-noa , or  the 
house  of  the  women,  which  men  could  not  enter ; fourth,  the  hale-aina, 


32 


THE  FAR  EAST. 


or  eating-house  of  the  wife  ; fifth,  the  kna,  or  wife’s  working-house ; sixth, 
the  hcih-pea,  or  nursery  of  the  wife.  The  poorer  classes  followed  as  near 
as  possible  this  plan,  though  they  had  often  to  use  screens  for  partitions. 

The  Hawaiians  enjoyed  athletic  sports  of  all  kinds,  running,  boxing, 
jumping,  wrestling,  swimming,  diving,  and  other  games,  but  the  two  pas- 
times which  delighted  them  most  were  holua  and  surf-riding.  The  former 
consisted  of  coasting  on  long,  narrow  sledges  down  steep  descents,  with 


RIDING  THE  SURF. 

the  rider  lying  prone  and  borne  on  with  the  velocity  of  the  wind.  He 
who  reached  the  foot  first  was  the  victor.  These  sportsmen  did  not 
require  a snow  path  over  which  to  fly  on  their  strange  sleds,  but  found 
the  best  race-courses  over  slopes  covered  with  dried  grass  or  over  lava- 
floored  tracks. 

The  goddess  of  the  volcano,  Pele,  was  supposed  to  delight  in  these 
contests,  coming  disguised  in  some  earthly  form.  As  may  be  imagined, 
she  always  became  a dangerous  rival.  Kahawali,  a Hawaiian  prince,  once 
raced  with  her  when  she  was  impersonating  a beautiful  young  woman. 


Lei  Women,  Hawaii 


. 


. . 


HAWAII. 


o 9 
OO 

On  the  first  trip  he  outdistanced  her,  and  when  she  asked  for  a second 
trial,  claiming  that  her  papa  (sled)  was  inferior  to  his,  he  laughed  at  her 
and  started  alone  down  the  descent.  Hearing  wild  shouts  and  great  confu- 
sion, he  saw  that  she  was  pursuing  him,  riding  on  the  crest  of  a lava  wave. 
In  his  desperation  he  fled  for  the  sea,  where  she  could  not  follow'  him. 
But  she  threw  stones  after  him,  making  the  water  so  hot  he  perished.  To 

him  who  doubts  this  tale  the  stones 
are  pointed  out  on  the  beach,  and 
the  track  of  the  lava  stream  is 
shown. 

Their  musical  instruments  vrere 
the  pahus,  or  drums  of  different 
sizes,  the  ohe,  or  bamboo  flute, 
the  liokio,  or  rude  clarionet,  and 
a fewr  ruder  instruments  than 
even  these.  They  had  several 
dances,  of  which  the  hula,  par- 
ticipated in  by  males  and  females, 
was  the  most  popular. 

In  their  mourning  customs  the 
Hawaiians  showed  their  wildest 
nature,  often  resorting  to  the  most 
extravagant  performances,  excus- 
ing all  by  saying  that  grief  had  so 
unseated  their  reason  as  to  make 
them  not  responsible.  The  masses 
buried  their  dead  in  caves,  hut 
the  bones  of  the  kings  were  dis- 
posed of  with  the  utmost  care.  There  vrere  royal  burial-places  at  Hon- 
aunau,  and  on  Maui  at  Tao  valley ; but  not  always  did  the  remains  of 
the  kings  receive  sepulture  at  those  places.  On  account  of  the  fear  that 
some  one  would  make  fish-hooks  or  other  instruments  out  of  them,  for 
the  charm  they  were  supposed  to  give,  all  sorts  of  expedients  were  re- 
sorted to  by  faithful  friends  to  conceal  the  hones. 

The  year  was  divided  into  twelve  months  of  thirty  da}^s  each.  The 
days  w'ere  named  instead  of  being  numbered.  As  their  division  gave  but 


34 


THE  FAR  EAST. 


three  hundred  and  sixty  days  to  the  year,  they  consecrated  to  Lono,  the 
god  of  the  elements,  the  balance,  so  as  to  complete  the  sidereal  year  regu- 
lated by  the  Pleiades.  The  new  year  began  with  the  winter  solstice. 
They  had  the  lunar  month  by  which  they  regulated  their  feasts.  The 
seasons  were  two,  wet  and  dry.  In  counting  they  calculated  by  four  and 
its  multiples. 

They  had  no  written  language,  and  their  oral  speech  contained  the 


PALM  GROVE. 

sounds  of  but  twelve  letters,  five  vowels  and  seven  consonants,  as  follows : 
a,  e,  i,  o,  u,  and  h,  k,  1,  m,  n,  p,  w.  To  these  r,  t,  and  b are  sometimes, 
added  by  writers,  but  the  r takes  the  sound  of  1,  the  t of  k,  and  b of  p. 
A is  pronounced  usually  as  in  father ; e as  in  they ; i as  in  marine  ; o as 
in  mole  ; u as  in  im<te.  W usually  has  the  sound  of  v.  The  only  excep- 
tion to  these  rules  is  when  the  vowel  has  the  long  or  short  sound.  Every 
syllable  and  every  word  in  the  language  ends  with  a vowel,  and  two  con- 
sonants never  come  together.  The  penultimate,  or  next  to  last  syllable  of 
a word,  almost  invariably  receives  the  accent.  The  plural  takes  the  prefix 


HAWAII. 


of  na.  In  Hawaiian  conversation  words  fall  from  the  tongue  with  the 
musical  rhythm  of  a brook  gliding  over  a pebbly  bottom,  a consonant 
thrown  in  now  and  then  as  rocks  are  found  in  the  stream,  not  to  check 
the  current,  but  to  break  the  monotony  of  its  flow. 

In  order  to  maintain  the  distinction  between  the  classes,  the  nobility 
had  a language  of  its  own,  which  was  not  understood  by  the  common 
people.  This  was  changed  from  time  to  time  that  it  might  not  be  learned 
by  any  one  outside  of  the  favoured  circle. 

If  barbarians,  the  Hawaiians  were  never  cannibals.  They  sacrificed 
their  prisoners  of  war  on  the  altars  of  their  gods  that  they  might  gain 
further  victories  under  arms,  and  bathed  those  same  graven  images  in  the 
blood  of  their  kindred  to  appease  the  imaginary  wrath  of  their  over-rulers. 
In  this  respect  they  did  not  differ  from  the  ancient  Gauls  and  Saxons, 
whose  temples  were  crimsoned  with  the  blood  of  human  beings,  while 
a father  of  Israel  sharpened  his  knife  to  slay  his  son  that  his  body  might 
be  made  an  offering  to  the  offended  God  of  Abraham. 

Marriage  was  forbidden  only  between  mother  and  son,  and  yet  the 
kingly  line  boasted  of  the  finest  specimens  of  manhood  and  womanhood. 
The  people  were  in  physical  bondage  to  the  king  and  in  mental  slavery  to 
the  priesthood,  and  yet  they  were  a merry,  easy-going,  brave,  and  unselfish 
race  of  men  and  women.  Their  kings  were  ever  at  war,  and  yet  no  fear 
of  a foreign  invasion  reached  their  hearts.  Surrounded  by  the  eight 
Hawaiian  seas  they  were  a little  world  by  themselves,  their  lives  filled 
with  deeds  of  knightly  chivalry,  incidents  of  love  and  romantic  devotion 
unto  death,  and  examples  of  unfaltering  patriotism  and  self-sacrifice.  If 
an  impassable  gulf  frowned  between  the  rulers  and  their  subjects,  each 
party  went  its  way  careless  and  contented. 

Following  the  second  period  of  invasion  the  Hawaiians  enjoyed  a long 
spell  of  peace  and  isolation,  six  hundred  years  of  non-intercourse  with  the 
outside  world,  when  in  1778  Captain  Cook  led  the  way  for  further 
conquest,  such  as  ancient  history  had  not  told. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


THE  NAPOLEON  OF  THE  PACIFIC. 


PI  LI’S  lineal  descendant 
Kalaniopuu  was  king  of 
Hawaii  at  the  time  of 
Captain  Cook’s  visit.  He  also 
held  sway  over  part  of  Maui. 

Kahekili,  “ the  Thunderer,”  a 
brother  to  the  wife  of  Kalani- 
opuu, was  moi  of  the  greater 
part  of  Maui.  His  cousin, 

Kahahana,  was  king  of  Oahu, 

Molokai,  and  Lanai.  Kauai  and 
Niihau  were  ruled  by  a queen 
related  to  the  royal  family  of 
Hawaii,  and  whose  husband 
was  a younger  brother  to  the 
king  of  Maui.  It  will  thus  be 
seen  that  the  rulers  of  the 
different  islands  were  connected 
by  ties  of  blood,  though  little 
love  was  lost  on  this  account, 
when  the  frequent  wars  brought 
the  bitterness  of  strife. 

At  that  time  Kahekili  was 
arming  to  overpower  Kahahana 
of  Oahu,  expecting  to  be  assisted 
by  Kauai’s  queen.  Captain  Cook 

found  Kalaniopuu  away  fighting  this  same  Thunderer,  to  avenge  the  death 
of  his  eight  hundred  nobles,  the  flower  of  his  army,  who  had  been  hewn  down 
like  playthings  at  Hana  the  year  before  by  Kahekili’s  doughty  warriors. 

36 


STATUE  OF  lv  AM  EH  AM  EH  A I. 


NATURAL  ARCH  AT  ONAMEA,  HAWAII. 


HAWAII. 


37 


There  was  then  in  the  court  of  Kalaniopuu  a silent,  taciturn  man  of 
forty,  who  was  destined  to  end  all  these  petty  strifes  in  a Napoleonic  con- 
quest of  the  islands.  He  was  of  stalwart  frame,  and  his  courage  and 
prowess  were  well  known,  though  none  dreamed  of  his  skill  and  ambition 
as  a warrior.  Born  at  Halawa,  in  the  Kohala  district,  during  a turbulent 
period,  when  all  the  forces  of  Hawaii  were  mustering  for  an  invasion  of 
Maui,  lie  was  the  accepted  son  of  the  king’s  half-brother,  Keoua,  though 
some  believed  he  was  the  son  of  Kahekili,  the  Thunderer.  However  that 
might  be,  he  was  of  royal  blood,  and  what  was  of  more  importance  still, 


HILO  BAY. 


possessed  the  indomitable,  far-seeing  spirit  of  Kamehameha  the  Conqueror. 
This  Kamehameha  took  an  active  part  in  the  fight  which  resulted  in  the 
death  of  Captain  Cook,  and  more  than  any  other  person  remarked  the 
great  superiority  of  the  weapons  of  the  whites  over  those  of  his  country- 
men. After  this  unfortunate  scene  he  retired  to  his  estate  in  Kohala,  and 
was  quietly  building  canoes  and  looking  after  his  patrimony  when  the  aged 
king  died  in  1782.  Kiwalao,  the  moi’s  oldest  son,  now  succeeded  to  the 
kingship,  with  Kamehameha  second  in  power. 

Usually  the  death  of  a king  was  followed  by  a civil  war,  and  this  case 
was  no  exception  to  the  rule.  Four  chiefs  of  Kona  joined  issue  under 
Kamehameha,  and  a fierce  battle  ensued  just  south  of  Kealakekua  Bay, 


38 


THE  FAR  EAST. 


when  Kiwalao  was  killed  and  his  victor  became  rnler  over  Kona  and  Kohala. 
The  rest  of  the  island  Avas  divided  among  a brother  and  uncle  of  Kiwalao 
and  Kahekili  and  his  brother  Kaeo. 

An  intense  and  prolonged  warfare  between  the  rival  powers  followed, 
during  which  Kamehameha  acted  a stirring  part  in  assailing  West  Maui, 
while  Kahekili  and  his  brother  Kaeo  attacked  the  district  of  Hilo.  No 
faction  gained  any  decisive  victory.  During  a lull  in  this  savage  conten- 
tion, in  1786,  American  and  European  ships  on  their  way  to  Canton  began 


NAWILIVV1LI,  KAUAI. 


to  stop  here  for  supplies,  or,  engaged  in  the  fur  trade  on  the  northwest 
coast  of  America,  ran  down  here  to  spend  the  winter,  Waimea,  on  the 
island  of  Kauai,  and  Kealakekua  Bay  being  the  harbours  most  frequented 
by  them. 

Some  of  the  native  chiefs  were  inclined  to  look  with  suspicion  upon  these 
visitors,  and,  though  a brisk  trade  soon  sprung  up,  to  treat  them  treacher- 
ously. Kamehameha  showed  a more  far-seeing  policy  by  treating  with 
the  strangers  fairly,  trying  to  gain  their  confidence  by  offering  them  every 
hospitality  at  his  disposal  and  even  defending  them  against  the  faithless 
treatment  of  the  other  chiefs.  In  this  way  he  secured  the  better  part  of  the 


HAWAII. 


39 


trade,  and  came  into  possession  of  firearms,  powder,  and  shot,  the  articles 
most  in  demand  by  the  natives. 

In  1789  a treacherous  act  of  his  enemies  was  the  cause  of  giving  to 
Kamehameha  just  such  aid  and  counsel  as  he  needed  in  the  coming  conquest. 
In  February,  1790,  an  American  fur-trader  named  Metcalf,  on  his  way  to 
China,  with  two  vessels,  the  Eleanor  and  Fair  American , the  latter  com- 
manded by  his  son,  a youth  of  twenty,  anchored  off  Honuaula,  Maui. 
That  night,  after  killing  its  occupant,  some  of  the  natives  stole  a boat  and 
stove  it  to  pieces  to  get  its  nails. 

The  following  morning,  learning  that  the  offenders  had  gone  to  Olowalu, 
Captain  Metcalf  proceeded  thither.  Arriving  there  during  a religious 
festival,  he  waited  until  it  was  over,  and  then,  making  no  mention  of  the 
wrong  which  had  been  done  him,  opened  trade  with  the  Hawaiians.  This 
called  a great  number  of  canoes  about  the  vessel,  when  lie  ordered  a broad- 
side of  shot  to  be  poured  upon  the  unsuspecting  crowd.  The  water  was 
strewn  with  the  bodies  of  the  dead  and  wounded  natives  and  the  ruins  of 
their  canoes.  Immediately  after  doing  this,  Captain  Metcalf  ran  down  to 
the  Hawaiian  coast,  lying  off  Kealakekua  Bay  for  the  coming  of  the  Fair 
American. 

Meanwhile  a fleet  of  canoes  had  gone  out  to  the  other  ship,  and  under 
pretence  of  trade  gained  the  deck.  The  boy  captain,  taken  off  his  guard, 
was  killed,  and  the  slaughter  of  his  crew  quickly  followed,  the  mate,  Isaac 
Davis,  being  alone  spared.  The  vessel  was  then  ransacked,  and  taking 
everything  that  pleased  them,  with  Davis  a captive,  the  natives  retreated 
from  that  vicinity. 

On  March  17th,  while  waiting  in  the  hope  of  finding  his  son  or  some  of 
the  crew,  his  boatswain,  John  Young,  while  on  shore  was  captured  and 
carried  off  by  the  natives.  Giving  up  all  hopes  of  finding  the  lost  ones, 
and  believing  Young  to  have  been  killed,  Captain  Metcalf  went  on  his  way. 
Kamehameha  soon  obtained  possession  of  the  muskets,  cannon,  and  ammu- 
nition taken  from  the  Fair  American,  and  the  prisoners  fell  into  his  hands. 
In  the  two  foreign  sailors,  if  he  could  induce  them  to  enter  his  service, 
he  foresaw  valuable  assistants  in  the  work  he  had  ahead,  and  he  treated 
them  with  kindness  and  respect. 

Realising  that  they  had  little  hope  of  being  found  and  rescued  by  their 
countrymen,  and  being  of  adventurous,  ambitious  natures,  they  soon  yielded 


40 


TIIE  FAR  EAST. 


to  his  overtures,  to  become  his  most  able  advisers  and  supporters  in  the 
long  and  arduous  war  to  follow.  They  were  in  fact,  as  another  has  well 
put  it,  the  marshals  of  the  Hawaiian  Napoleon,  his  Ney  and  MacDonald. 
Thus  the  affair  connected  with  the  two  American  ships,  as  cpiestionable  as 
it  was  on  both  sides,  marked  the  beginning  of  a new  era  in  the  history  of 
Hawaii. 

Kamehameha  lost  no  more  time  in  resuming  his  war  with  the  powers 


IAO  VALLEY. 

of  Maui,  and  that  year,  1790,  he  defeated  its  defenders  with  terrible 
slaughter  in  the  Iao  valley,  where  it  was  said  the  dead  fell  so  fast  and 
thick  that  the  waters  of  the  Waihiku  were  dammed  by  the  bodies.  In  his 
triumph  here  lie  was  planning  to  overrun  Molokai,  when  word  came  that 
affairs  at  home  were  getting  into  bad  shape.  The  brother  of  his  enemy 
defeated  here  had  captured  Hilo  and  was  sweeping  away  everything  before 
him. 

Returning  at  once  to  Hawaii,  he  made  short,  if  bloody,  work  in  routing 


\ 


Surf  Boat  at  IVaikiki 


4 


' 


HAWAII. 


41 


this  foe ; but  while  he  was  doing  it,  the  Thunderer  and  his  followers 
rallied  to  regain  possession  of  Maui.  The  next  move  in  this  bloody  game 
of  conquest  was  a sea-fight  between  Kamehameha  and  his  united  enemies  of 
Hawaii.  This  was  fought  off  Waimanu,  and  owing  to  the  superiority  of  his 
arms  Kamehameha  won  a decided  victory.  lie  followed  this  up  by  the 

most  disreputable  act  of  his 
long  and  eventful  life.  Send- 
ing to  Keoua  to  meet  him  in 
friendly  conference  at  Kawai- 
hae,  he  then  caused  him  and 
his  attendants  to  he  massacred 
as  they  were  trying  to  effect  a 
landing.  Thereupon  Kame- 
hameha proclaimed  himself 
king  of  all  Hawaii,  and  there 
was  none  to  dispute  his  title. 
No  doubt  his  enemy  would  have 
resorted  to  the  same  methods 
had  he  been  able  to  make  them 
successful,  but  it  seems  none 
the  less  a pity  that  a record 
otherwise  remarkably  bright 
for  a heathen  should  have 
been  stained  with  a deed 

like  this.  This  was  in  1791, 

and  he  celebrated  his  tri- 

umph by  building  that  year  a 
new  heiau  at  Puukohola,  offer- 
ing the  bodies  of  his  cap- 

tives as  sacrifices  to  his  favourite  war-god. 

The  following  year  Hawaii  was  visited  by  Capt.  George  Vancouver,  who 
had  been  with  Captain  Cook  on  his  second  and  third  voyages.  Kame- 
hameha now  learned  much  more  than  his  American  counsellors  had  told 
him  of  the  power  and  grandeur  of  the  Christian  nations,  while  he  listened 
with  wonder  and  interest  to  the  other’s  teaching  of  justice  and  humanity 
and  his  description  of  the  Christian’s  faith  in  God.'  Captain  Vancouver 


WUNANO  BI.UFF. 


TIIE  FAR  EAST. 


42  ' 


visited  the  island  three  times  during  1792-94,  and  there  is  no  doubt  his 
teachings  made  a deep  and  abiding  impression  upon  the  Hawaiian  king, 
who,  if  he  still  clung  to  his  idols  and  pagan  rites,  showed  afterward  a 
milder  spirit  in  all  that  he  did. 

Captain  Vancouver  presented  him  with  cattle  and  sheep  and  many  use- 
ful plants,  but  refused  to  let  him  have  powder  and  firearms.  So  favourable 
an  impression  was  made  by  this  humane  navigator  that  February  25, 1794, 
Kamehameha  and  his  chiefs  voluntarily  placed  Hawaii  under  the  protec- 


R1DIXG  BULLOCKS. 


torate  of  Great  Britain,  and  the  British  flag  was  raised  on  the  shore  of 
Kealakekua. 

This  act,  however,  did  not  mean  that  his  spirit  of  conquest  was  subdued 
or  that  his  wars  were  over,  for  inside  of  a year  we  find  him  mustering  the 
greatest  army  the  island  ever  knew.  His  old  enemy  Kaliekili,  king  of 
the  leeward  islands,  worn  out  with  his  fighting  as  much  as  his  years,  left 
his  kingdom  to  be  divided  between  his  son,  Kalanikupule,  ruler  of  Oahu, 
and  his  brother,  Kaeo.  moi  of  Maui.  This  twain  straightway  went  to 
fighting  over  their  respective  domains.  By  the  aid  of  a couple  of  English 
traders,  Captains  Brown  and  Gordon,  then  visiting  at  Honolulu,  Kalani  of 
Oahu  defeated  his  rival  and  put  him  to  death.  Immediately  he  began  to 
grow  jealous  of  his  allies,  and  having  an  ambition  of  his  own  to  rule  over 


HAWAII. 


43 


all  of  the  islands,  he  planned  to  kill  them  and  then,  with  the  ships  and  a 
fleet  of  war  canoes,  sail  to  Hawaii  to  attack  Kamehameha.  He  managed 
to  murder  the  captains,  but  in  such  a bungling  manner  that  the  sailors 
escaped  with  the  vessels,  going  to  Hawaii  direct,  when  they  turned  them 
over  to  Kamehameha  with  all  their  arms  and  ammunition. 

This  was  the  conqueror's  opportunity,  and,  assisted  by  his  marshals, 
he  mustered  over  sixteen  thousand  warriors,  and  with  the  best  equipped, 
as  well  as  the  largest  army  Hawaii  had  known,  in  the  spring  of  1 7U5  set 


HANALK.l  RIVER. 


sail  with  his  immense  fleet  of  canoes  for  Maui.  This  island  was  given 
over  to  him  without  a battle,  and  then  he  captured  Molokai  in  the  same 
easy  manner. 

By  this  time  Kalanikupule  had  rallied  his  forces,  ten  thousand  strong, 
and  prepared  to  make  a desperate  stand  in  the  Nuuanu  ^ alley,  near  where 
the  ice-works  are  now  located.  Kamehameha  reached  Waialae  Bay  the 
last  of  April,  where  he  learned  that  one  of  his  trusted  chiefs,  who  had 
agreed  to  meet  him  there,  had  deserted  him,  and  with  all  of  his  followers 
joined  the  enemy. 

Nothing  daunted  by  this,  Kamehameha  lost  no  further  time  in  marching 


44 


THE  FAR  EAST. 


against  his  foes,  when  the  two  armies  met  in  that  deadly  grapple  which 
was  not  only  to  decide  the  fates  of  kings  but  the  whole  future  of  the 
Hawaiian  Islands.  The  Oahuans  proved  themselves  true  to  their  reputa- 
tion as  fighters,  and  there,  with  the  cloud-swept  cliffs  behind,  the  home- 
land of  Kaulau  below  them,  with  the  blue  sea  shimmering  through  the 
cocoanuts,  and  in  plain  sight  of  the  thatched  roofs  of  their  grass  houses, 
they  gave  their  lives  in 
heroic  contest  for  the  lost 
cause.  Slowly  pressed  back 
toward  the  pali  until  on  its 
brink,  the  survivors,  rather 
than  fall  into  the  hands  of 
their  enemies,  hurled  them- 
selves over  the  precipice 
upon  the  jagged  rocks  hun- 
dreds of  feet  below. 

Again  Kamehameha  had 
proved  himself  the  con- 
queror, and  by  this  victory 
all  of  the  Hawaiian  Islands, 
except  Kauai  and  Niihau, 
passed  under  his  sover- 
eignty. Kaiana,  the  traitor, 
had  met  death  from  a can- 
non-ball, and  Kalanikupule, 
finding  his  warriors  com- 
pletely routed,  tried  to  es- 
cape by  flight ; but  he  was 
pursued,  overtaken,  and  captured,  to  be  held  as  a sacrifice  at  the  lieiau 
at  Moanalua. 

According  to  custom  the  great  victory  must  be  celebrated  with  adequate 
ceremonies,  and  the  grandest  liookupu  (festival  during  which  the  people 
made  presents  to  the  king)  ever  witnessed  in  Oahu  followed.  Finding 
that  it  was  policy  to  treat  their  new  king  with  as  good  grace  as  possible, 
the  Oahuans  became  extremely  liberal,  until  the  offerings  reached  an 
amount  and  variety  which  astonished  every  one,  even  to  Kamehameha. 


THE  NEEDLES.  I AO  VALLEY. 


VIEW  NEAR  THE  NEEDLES,  IAO  VALLEY 


HAWAII. 


45 


But  the  highest  gift  was  reserved  for  the  last.  In  the  midst  of  the 
bustle  and  confusion,  an  old  man,  who  had  been  among  the  most  ac- 
tive and  bitter  of  the  island  defenders,  was  seen  approaching  the 
altar,  or  grand  stand,  leading  by  the  hand  a beautiful  girl,  an  elm 
(Hawaiian  blonde),  as  a gift  to  his  new  king.  Not  over  sixteen  years 
of  age,  of  fair  skin,  expressive,  hazel-brown  eyes,  tall,  perfectly 
molded  figure,  and  abundant  tresses  of  a glimmering  brown  mixed 

with  threads  of  gold  falling 
like  a gauze  veil  down  the 
well-rounded  shoulders,  she 
was  of  that  matchless  type 
of  beauty  rarely  found  even 
when  the  best  blood  of  two 
races  blends.  A skirt  of  yel- 
low kapa,  embroidered  in 
dark  designs  of  many  birds, 
and  rustling  like  folds  of 
silk,  fell  from  her  slender 
waist  to  her  knees,  while 
her  head  was  wreathed  in 
yellow  oo  feathers,  and 
shell  bracelets  encircled  her 
small  wrists.  Suspended 
from  her  neck,  by  its  three 
hundred  braids  of  human 
hair,  was  the  sacred  Niho 
Palaoa,  the  royal  insignia 
of  the  gods.  Surely  never 
fairer  bid  for  kingly  favour  was  made  than  this  of  old  Kavari,  who 
hoped  to  propitiate  his  new  sovereign  and  thus  win  back  the  fortune  he 
had  lost  by  opposing  the  iron  Conqueror. 

Frightened  by  the  sight  of  so  many  intent  spectators,  and  realising 
more  than  ever  her  strange  position,  the  maid  stood  before  the  king  with 
downcast  eyes,  wet  with  tears,  and  bosom  rising  and  falling  tumultuously 
under  her  great  emotion. 

Kamehameha  the  Great  smiled,  and  he  was  about  to  address  the  aged 


CASCADKS. 


46 


THE  FAR  EAST. 


chief  who  came  with  this  human  gift,  when  there  was  a commotion  in  the 
ranks  of  his  soldiers,  and  a young  warrior,  who  had  covered  himself  with 
glory  in  the  battle  that  day,  sprang  forward  to  place  himself  in  front 
of  the  trembling  damsel. 

A low  murmur  of  horror  came  from  the  watchful  crowd  as  the  daring 
act  was  witnessed,  for  all  knew  it  was  death  to  interfere  with  the  royal 
will.  The  dark  countenance  of  the  king  grew  black,  and  his  eyes  flashed 
furiously ; but  instead  of  ordering  the  young  man  to  be  put  to  death,  as 
the  onlookers  expected,  he  demanded  of  him : 


SCENE  ON  VOLCANO  ROAD. 


“ What  means  this  interference,  rash  youth  ? How  dare  you  meddle 
with  the  sacred  rights  of  the  king  ? ” 

The  warrior  bowed  low,  but  did  not  offer  to  speak. 

“What  name,  sir?”  though  Kamehameha  well  knew. 

“ Hakuole,  who  led  the  warriors  of  Kona  on  the  right,  my 
king.” 

“ So  Hakuole,  the  dauntless,  is  tired  of  being  a soldier,  and  prefers 
the  company  of  women  to  that  of  his  comrades  in  arms?” 

At  this  humiliating  question  Hakuole  bowed  lower,  and  wisely  held  his 
peace,  while  the  king  ordered  the  girl  to  be  led  forward. 

“ Knowest  this  foolhardy  young  man,  who  chooses  the  companionship 


HAWAII. 


47 


of  women  to  that  of  warriors  ? ” lie  asked  of  her,  who  now  stood  bravely 
up  before  him. 

“I  wore  his  wreath  at  the  last  hula  dance  before  the  battle,”  she 
replied,  modestly,  “ though  father  would  not  remember  this.” 

Then  it  must  have  flashed  through  the  mind  of  the  astute  king  that 
behind  this  bold  tableau  was  a love  act,  and  those  nearest  imagined  they 
detected  a smile  under  the  grim  exterior  of  the  Conqueror.  But  he  spoke 
as  sternly  as  ever,  when  he  next  said  : 


SULPHUR  BANKS,  VOLCANO. 


“ Hakuole,  I command  you  to  listen.  To-day  you  have  done  that  which 
you  knew  would  bring  you  the  punishment  of  a displeased  king.  You 
have  shown  yourself  a brave  officer,  now  listen  to  my  decree.  You  are 
suspended  from  your  official  rank  for  thirteen  moons.  Go  with  this  girl 
to  her  father’s  estate,  which  I now  bestow  upon  her  children.  Away  with 
you,  and  forget  not  the  judgment  of  Kamehameha.” 

Covered  with  confusion  at  this  happy  and  unexpected  termination 
of  the  affair,  the  lovers  beat  a retreat,  amid  the  cheers  of  their  friends, 
and  there  is  no  doubt  they  lived  to  bless  the  name  of  Kamehameha,  whose 


48 


THE  FAR  EAST. 


KAAPENA  POOL. 


HAWAII. 


49 


true  character  is  best  illustrated  in  the  little  incidents  of  his  long  and 
checkered  career.  Of  course  the  hookupu  was  a great  success,  and  the 
king  soon  won  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  his  new  subjects. 

After  spending  a year  in  reorganising  and  strengthening  his  army,  he 
set  out  to  conquer  Kauai,  but  the  elements  this  time  interfered  with  his 
plans,  and  losing  many  of  his  canoes  and  men  in  a violent  tempest  off  the 
coast  of  the  Garden  Isle,  he  was  obliged  to  return  to  Oahu.  Then  an 
insurrection  on  Hawaii  next  took  his  attention,  and  he  finished  his  wars 
in  putting  that  down,  though  he  still  dreamed  of  adding  Kauai  to  his 
kingdom. 

Kamehameha  now  turned  from  warlike  to  civil  affairs,  beginning  to 
make  many  radical  changes  in  the  condition  and  government  of  the 
islands.  He  first  divided  the  lands  among  his  followers,  after  reserving 
a generous  portion  for  himself,  according  to  their  rank  and  service.  He 
chose  governors  for  each  island,  made  responsible  to  him,  and  empowered 
them  to  elect  chiefs  of  districts,  heads  of  villages,  and  all  petty  officers, 
who  were  held  accountable  through  them  to  him.  He  appointed  collectors 
of  revenue,  who,  lacking  the  art  of  writing,  kept  their  accounts  by  a method 
used  by  the  British  exchequer  in  ancient  times.  He  had  his  board  of 
advisers,  who,  with  the  governors,  met  with  him  at  regular  dates,  the 
meetings  being  held  in  strict  privacy. 

John  Young  was  made  governor  of  Hawaii.  In  all  of  his  selections 
to  office  the  king  showed  remarkable  judgment  of  men,  and  was  seldom, 
if  ever,  deceived.  So  thoroughly  did  he  master  every  situation  and 
enforce  the  honesty  of  his  purpose,  that  crime  became  almost  unknown, 
and  it  was  a common  saying  that  “old  men  and  children  could  sleep  in  the 
highways  in  safety.”  He  also  paid  considerable  attention  to  the  indus- 
trial and  agricultural  interests,  doing  much  in  this  way  to  repair  the 
ravages  of  his  wars. 

But  an  evil  had  entered  his  kingdom  against  which  he  could  not 
successfully  cope.  The  seeds  of  disease  and  intemperance  sown  by 
foreigners  had  developed  into  a foe  which  no  army  could  withstand 
or  people  combat.  In  1800  some  Botany  Bay  convicts  introduced  the 
method  of  distilling  liquor,  and  drunkenness  at  once  became  very  preva- 
lent. Four  years  later  a pestilence,  believed  to  have  been  the  cholera,  was 
brought  from  China,  and  half  the  population  of  Oahu  fell  victims,  while 


THE  FAR  EAST. 


50 

elsewhere  disease  and  death  claimed  their  victims  in  overwhelming  nura- 
hers.  Such  misery  and  death  as  the  common  people  had  never  known  now 
fell  to  their  unhappy  lot. 

At  this  time  Kamehameha  had  just  completed  his  immense  fleet  of  war 
canoes,  called  the  ])eleleu,  built  for  the  purpose  of  invading  Kauai,  but  the 
terrible  disease  sweeping  over  the  islands  carried  off  in  a few  days  half  of 
his  army  and  the  majority  of  his  counsellors.  The  Kauai  expedition  had 
to  be  abandoned,  never  to  be  considered  again  by  the  sobered  king,  who 


HONOLULU  FROM  PUNCHBOWL. 


told  his  remaining  soldiers  to  go  into  the  fields  and  work.  He  joined 
them  for  a time,  as  not  only  disease  but  famine  stared  them  in  the  face. 

In  March,  1810,  Kaumualii,  the  last  king  of  Kauai,  visited  Honolulu  in 
the  American  ship  Albatross,  Capt.  Nathan  Winship,  and  made  a voluntary 
concession  of  his  islands  to  Kamehameha,  who  very  considerately  allowed 
him  to  hold  them  in  fief  during  his  lifetime,  on  condition  of  paying  tribute. 

About  this  time  and  continuing  during  the  first  quarter  of  the  century, 
the  sandalwood  trade  with  foreign  markets  sprang  up.  At  Canton, 
China,  in  particular,  this  fragrant  wood  was  in  great  demand  for  incense 
and  the  manufacture  of  fancy  articles.  While  the  wood  lasted  it  was 


HAWAII. 


51 


a source  of  vast  profit  to  the  landholders.  It  was  soon  almost  entirely 
removed,  so  it  is  very  seldom  found  now. 

While  attending  to  the  many  details  of  his  government  with  far-seeing 
foresight,  he  neglected  to  adopt  a national  flag.  With  a feeling  of  friend- 
liness toward  all  foreign  countries,  England  and  the  United  States  in 
particular,  he  thought  it  sufficient  to  fly  the  Hags  of  these  countries  as  it 
happened,  intending,  no  doubt,  to  be  fair  in  the  matter.  All  went  well 


FORT  STREET,  HONOLULU. 

in  this  way  until  the  War  of  1812  had  been  in  progress  several  months. 
Then  a Yankee  privateer,  putting  into  Honolulu,  saw  with  amazement  the 
British  flag  floating  in  the  breeze.  lie  demanded  an  explanation,  when 
the  king,  to  prove  his  friendliness,  caused  the  stars  and  stripes  to  be  run 
up  in  place  of  the  other  flag.  This  satisfied  the  American,  but  in  a short 
time  an  English  man-of-war  appeared  on  the  scene,  and  again  the  king  was 
taken  to  account. 

Kamehameha  was  now  sorely  puzzled,  and  he  thought  of  flying  both 
flags,  until  Young  and  Davis  explained  to  him  that  two  flags  of  hostile 


THE  FAR  EAST. 


countries  could  not  fly  from  the  same  staff.  He  was  then  advised  to  have 
a flag  of  his  own,  and  Young  suggested  that  a compromise  be  made  by 
taking  the  stars  and  stripes  with  the  British  cross  for  a held.  The  next 
day  the  new  flag  was  hoisted  and  everybody  pleased. 

During  1815,  under  the  order  of  Baranoff,  the  Russian  governor  of 

* 

Alaska,  Doctor  Scheffer,  visited  Kauai,  and  urged  its  aged  king  to  place 
himself  under  the  protection  of  Russia,  and  even  went  so  far  as  to  build 
a fort  at  Wairaea  and  hoist  the  colours  of  the  empire  over  it.  Upon  learn- 
ing this,  Kamehameha  sent  word  for  Doctor  Scheffer  to  leave,  which  he 
did,  and  the  Hawaiian  king  raised  a strong  fort  on  the  island  in  181 G. 

This  year,  upon  the  advice  of  Young,  a fort  of  stone  and  embrasure  for 
cannon,  with  walls  about  twelve  feet  high  and  twenty  feet  thick,  was  built 
at  Honolulu.  It  was  nearly  square  and  about  three  hundred  and  fifty  feet 
on  a side,  and  stood  across  what  is  now  Fort  Street.  Prior  to  that  time 
the  place  had  been  but  a fishing-village,  with  a sandy,  treeless  background 
and  a fringe  of  cocoanuts  on  the  seashore.  In  November,  1820,  the  court 
was  moved  from  Hawaii  by  Kamehameha  II.,  and  it  became  the  seat  of 
government  for  the  island  states. 

On  May  8,  1810,  at  the  ripe  age  of  fourscore  years,  Kamehameha  died 
at  Kailua,  Hawaii,  forbidding  in  his  last  illness  the  usual  sacrifice  of 
human  beings  at  his  funeral,  saying,  “ The  men  should  be  sacred  to  the 
king,”  meaning  his  son  and  successor.  If  belonging  to  a barbaric  race,  he 
was  no  ordinary  man.  A shrewd,  sagacious  organiser  and  commander  of 
armed  forces,  he  was  none  the  less  gifted  in  executive  ability,  and  he  not 
only  consolidated  the  islands  under  a strong  government,  but  he  fused 
a rabble  of  ignorant  people  and  chieftaincies  into  a united  kingdom,  and 
stimulated  among  his  subjects  a patriotism  which  is  felt  to  this  day  by 
their  descendants. 

So  fearful  were  the  ancient  chiefs  of  Hawaii  that  some  harm  might  be 
done  their  bodies  after  death,  — that  their  bones  be  utilised  for  making 
fish-hooks  or  arrow  points  for  shooting  mice,  — it  was  the  invariable 
custom  for  the  most  faithful  of  the  king’s  survivors  to  bear  away  the 
remains  to  some  unknown  place  of  sepulture,  some  dark  recess  in  the 
volcanic  mountains,  or  to  a grave  in  the  sea.  Sometimes  the  ingenuity 
of  the  barbaric  undertaker  devised  strange  places  or  methods  of  conceal- 
ment. Upon  the  death  of  a noted  king  of  Oahu,  some  two  hundred  years 


WAIALUA  FALLS,  ON  KAUAI 


HAWAII. 


53 


ago,  the  bones  were  stripped  of  the  flesh,  and  then  entrusted  to  a careful 
friend  for  safe  interment.  Instead  of  seeking  some  hidden  spot  in  the 
mountains  to  receive  them,  he  pulverised  the  bones  into  a fine  powder, 
which  lie  mixed  with  the  poi  to  be  eaten  at  the  funeral  feast.  The  repast 
over,  and  asked  if  he  had  faithfully  done  his  work,  he  replied  : “ Safe, 
indeed,  are  the  bones  of  Kaulii.  They  are  hidden  in  a hundred  living 
sepulchres  ; you  have  eaten  them  ! ” 


AKOl’ND  KAKXA  POINT. 


Where  the  bones  of  Kamehameha  I.  rest  no  man  knows.  A chief,  by 
the  name  of  Hoolulu,  was  entrusted  with  the  sacred  charge,  and  it  is 
believed  he  secretly  bore  the  kingly  remains  to  a lonely  hiding-place  in  the 
hills  back  of  Kailua.  Two  men  met  him  upon  his  return,  and,  being  asked 
if  they  had  seen  any  one  going  in  the  direction  of  the  hills  that  morning, 
saved  their  lives  by  answering  “No.”  Had  their  reply  been  different  the 
questioner  would  have  killed  them  on  the  spot,  that  they  might  not 
reveal  the  secret  of  his  errand.  This  chief  left  children,  and  no  doubt 
he  entrusted  his  secret  with  one  of  them,  according  to  custom ; but  in 


54 


TIIE  FAR  EAST. 


1853,  when  secrecy  was  no  longer  necessary,  Kamehameha  III.  sought 
this  favoured  son  of  Hoolulu,  that  he  might  learn  the  location  of  the 
rude  sepulchre  of  his  illustrious  ancestor.  But  he  could  not  persuade 
the  other  to  reveal  the  spot,  and  the  secret  died  with  him  a few 
years  later. 


CHAPTER  V. 


ANCIENT  HAWAIIAN  RELIGION. 


ACCORDING  to  the  Hawaiian  mythology,  preserved  by  the  priests, 
who,  at  least  twice  during  each  generation,  met  in  council  to  com- 
pare their  historic  and  genealogy  meles.  that  nothing  might  he  lost 
or  changed,  a trinity  of  gods 


ruled  over  the  heavens  and 
earth.  These  were  Kane, 
the  supreme  author,  Ku,  the 
designer  and  builder,  Lono 
commander  of  the  elements. 

Through  the  Hikapoloa , 
or  united  efforts  of  the 
trinity,  light  was  created 
from  darkness,  and  order 
brought  out  of  chaos,  and 
three  heavens  were  created 
for  the  dwelling-place.  This 
done,  they  made  the  earth, 
sun,  moon,  and  stars.  A host 
of  angels  to  administer  to 
their  wants  was  then  created 
from  their  spittle.  Man  in 
the  image  of  Kane  was  next 

BKEADFRl'IT. 

made  from  red  earth  and  the 

spittle  of  Kane,  Lono  bringing  from  the  four  quarters  of  the  globe  a whitish 
clay  for  the  head.  From  one  of  the  supreme  gods  was  created  woman. 

The  pair  were  placed  in  a beautiful  paradise,  with  three  rivers  running 
through  it,  the  waters  of  life,  while  on  their  banks  grew  inviting  fruits, 
including  the  tabued  breadfruit-tree  and  the  sacred  apple-tree.  Legends 
exist  telling  how  man  partook  of  the  forbidden  fruit,  etc. 

55 


56 


THE  FAli  EAST. 


Among  the  angels  who  had  been  created  was  one  who  proved  the 
Lucifer  of  Hawaiian  mythology,  and  he  caused  a riot  in  heaven,  by 
demanding  that  the  newly  ordered  man  should  worship  him.  This  Kane 
would  not  allow,  as  angels  as  well  as  man  had  been  the  creation  of  the 
gods.  Thereupon,  this  Kanaloa  went  to  work  to  make  a man  after  his 

own  heart;  that  is,  one  who 
would  worship  him.  Kane 
seemed  to  have  no  objection, 
but  though  Kanaloa  did  suc- 
ceed in  making  a very  credit- 
able looking  man,  he  could 
not  endow  it  with  life.  In 
vain  he  breathed  into  its 
nostrils,  and  maddened  by  his 
failure,  he  resolved  to  destroy 
the  man  made  by  the  gods, 
lie  stole  into  Paliuli,  paradise, 
as  a moo  or  lizard,  and  be- 
guiled the  original  pair  into 
committing  an  offence  which 
caused  Kane  to  expel  them 
from  the  garden. 

This  outlawed  pair  had 
three  sons,  the  second  of  whom 
killed  the  first.  The  Hawaiian 
Cain  was  named  Laka.  Ka 
Pili  was  the  youngest  son, 
whose  genealogy  is  traced 
through  thirteen  generations 
to  Nun,  the  Hawaiian  Noah.  A deluge  following,  Nuu  built  an  ark,  and 
entered  it  with  his  wife,  three  sons,  and  a male  and  a female  of  every  living 
creature.  After  the  deluge  the  ark  rested  on  the  mountain,  overlooking 
a beautiful  valley.  In  his  gratefulness  Nuu  offered  a sacrifice  to  the  moon, 
mistaking  it  for  Kane.  That  god  reproved  him  for  his  mistake,  but  left 
the  rainbow  as  a token  of  his  forgiveness.  The  genealogy  continues  for  ten 
generations  before  coming  to  Ku  Pule,  the  Hawaiian  Abraham,  who  takes 


NAVAL  HOW,  HONOLULU  HARBOUR. 


HAWAII 


57 


HANAPEPE  FALLS,  KAUAI. 


58 


tup:  far  east. 


for  his  wife  his  slave  woman.  Aim.  Ku  Pule  established  circumcision,  and 
his  grandson  had  twelve  children,  of  whom  were  descended  twelve  tribes 
of  men,  from  one  of  which,  Menehune,  came  the  Hawaiians. 

Hawaii  Loa,  fourth  in  descent  from  this  father  of  the  Hawaiian  Israel, 
set  sail  on  the  trackless  sea,  and,  guided,  by  the  Pleiades,  eventually 
reached  the  island  of  Hawaii,  to  which  lie  gave  his  name.  Papa,  a tabu 
descendant  of  this  chief,  married  one  Wakea  beneath  her  in  rank,  and  in 
consequence  quarrels  embittered  their  lives.  Wakea  basked  in  the  smiles 
of  the  beautiful  Hina,  and  the  island  of  Molokai  was  the  result  of  their 
embrace.  To  offset  one  wrong  by  another,  Papa  gave  favour  to  Lua, 
and  she  bore  the  fair  Oahu.  Hence  the  names  Molokai-Hina  and 
Oahu-a-Lua. 

From  Wakea  to  the  Kamehamehas  fifty-six  generations  were  told,  or 
twenty-nine  to  the  Maweke,  who  reigned  in  the  eleventh  century,  when  the 
influx  from  the  southern  islands  made  such  changes  in  the  religious  and 
political  situation  of  the  islands.  New  gods  were  introduced  by  the 
high  priest,  Pao,  the  tabu  enlarged  and  strengthened,  and  the  priesthood 
made  hereditary,  and  second  only  to  the  royal  head  of  government. 

The  people  were  now  allowed  to  mingle  less  freely  in  the  forms  of 
worship,  and  the  priesthood  assumed  a more  serious  and  mysterious 
demeanour.  Kanaloa  was  exalted  among  the  supreme  gods,  Kane,  Ku, 
and  Lono.  Pele,  the  terrible  goddess  of  the  volcanoes,  was  added  to  the 
deities,  and  temples  to  her  worship  were  erected  all  over  the  volcanic  dis- 
tricts of  Hawaii.  She  was  the  most  picturesque  of  the  Hawaiian  deities. 
Among  her  sisters  and  brothers  were  Hiiaka,  the  heaven-rending  cloud- 
holder  ; Maole,  the  fire-eyed  canoe-breaker ; Hiiaka-ka,  the  red-hot  moun- 
tain lifting  clouds;  Kapohoikahiola,  god  of  explosion;  Kane-kahili,  the 
thunder  god ; and  as  many  more  with  as  weird  titles. 

The  gods  and  goddesses  named  did  not  command  all  of  the  worship  of 
the  people,  for  heiaus  were  built  to  the  war-gods  of  kings,  when  human 
sacrifices  were  offered,  and  humbler  temples  were  reared  to  the  animals, 
such  as  the  fish,  shark,  and  lizard.  Superstition  everywhere  abounded, 
sprites  and  fairies  of  every  description  populating  the  forests,  and  nymphs 
and  monsters  swimming  in  the  waters.  No  stream  or  valley  or  point  of 
land  but  had  its  wonderful  story  of  supernatural  deeds.  The  people 
made  their  own  household  gods,  and  destroyed  them  when  they  failed  to 


HAWAII. 


59 


respond  to  their  satisfaction.  It  was  believed  that  the  spirits  of  the 
departed  remained  to  hover  over  their  earthly  homes,  and  these  shades 
were  objects  of  prayer. 

The  high  priest  did  not  have  anything  to  do  with  these  lower  deities, 
the  lieiau  over  which  he  presided  being  dedicated  to  the  trinity  or  the 
war-god  of  the  king,  to  whom  he  was  next  in  authority.  Assisted  by 
seers,  and  prophets  grown  gray  in  years  if  not  in  wisdom,  and  pretending 


FERN  GROWTH. 

to  court  the  favour  of  the  gods,  he  was  consulted  on  all  matters  of  grave 
importance.  Sometimes  he  had  charge  of  the  king’s  war-gods,  when  he 
went  into  the  field  of  battle,  many  stories  being  told  of  such  action  chang- 
ing the  tide  of  conflict. 

Ailments  of  the  body  were  attributed  to  the  displeasure  of  the  gods, 
witchcraft,  or  the  prayers  of  some  kahuna , or  witch-doctor,  who  had  been 
offended.  The  kahuna  called  to  minister  to  the  afflicted,  first  sought  to 
discover  the  cause  of  his  patient’s  disorder,  and  then  set  himself  about 
counteracting  the  spell  by  prayers  and  incantations.  In  this  way  it  was 


CO 


TIIE  FAR  EAST. 


believed  he  sometimes  succeeded  in  transferring  the  malady  to  the  person 
-whose  anger  had  caused  it. 

The  ancient  Hawaiians  believed  that  another  person  had  the  power, 
under  certain  conditions,  to  pray  him  to  death.  For  the  kahuna  to  do  this 
it  was  necessary  that  lie  should  possess  some  article  belonging  to  the  vic- 
tim, such  as  a lock  of  his  hair,  a tooth,  nail,  or  even  some  of  his  spittle. 
For  this  reason  each  king  had  his  spittoon  bearer,  an  office  entrusted  only 
to  some  faithful  person. 

The  Hawaiian  heiau  or  temple  was  a walled  inclosure  of  from  one  to 


UM  UK  ELLA  Tit  EE,  COCOANUT  ISLAND. 


five  acres  in  extent,  laid  out  in  irregular  form,  the  walls  sometimes  being 
as  high  as  twenty  feet,  and  ten  feet  thick.  They  were  rough  barriers, 
occasionally  capped  with  slabs  of  hewn  coral.  Inside  was  a house  of  sac- 
rifice, called  the  luakina,  of  small  dimensions,  and  built  of  stone  or  wood. 
In  front  of  this  stood  the  lele,  or  altar,  a raised  stone  platform.  Beyond 
the  first  temple  was  another  sacred  to  the  priest,  and  within  this  was 
a small  wicker  enclosure  called  the  amu,  from  whence  the  kaulas,  or 
prophets,  issued  their  oracles  amid  a scene  of  darkness  and  in  a tragical 
tone  of  voice.  The  walls  were  covered  with  images  of  the  principal  gods, 
and  the  other  and  inner  walls  were  surmounted  by  lines  of  stone  and 
wooden  idols. 


HAWAII. 


Dwellings  for  the  high  priest  and  his  associates  stood  near  the  temples, 
while  a house  for  the  king,  when  seeking  consultation  at  the  place,  stood 
a little  removed  from  those  of  the  kaulas.  At  the  entrance  to  the  enclo- 
sure was  an  elevated  cross,  the  tabu  staff,  and  near  this  was  a stone  build- 
ing, in  which  the  victims  for  the  altar  were  slain. 

Human  sacrifices  were  usu- 
ally offered  at  the  building  of 
a lieiau,  and  when  completed 
they  were  dedicated  with  great 
pomp  and  ceremony,  the  altar 
heaped  with  human  bodies. 

The  ordinary  services  at  the 
temples  consisted  simply  of 
offerings  of  meats  and  fruits, 
with  chants  and  prayers,  the 
people  being  allowed  to  join, 
the  male  portion  of  the  inhabit- 
ants being  often  permitted  to 
participate.  The  women  were 
not  admitted,  but  if  denied  en- 
trance to  the  sacred  grounds 
were  exempt  from  a draft  when 
human  lives  were  required  for 
sacrifice.  Desiring  an  augury, 
the  king  would  proceed  alone 
or  with  his  high  priest  to  the 
lieiau,  asking  of  the  kaulas  an 
answer  to  his  question.  If  the 
replies  from  the  amu  did  not 

meet  his  expectations  other  methods  were  resorted  to,  such  as  the  shape 
and  movements  of  the  clouds,  pigs  and  fowls  were  opened  that  their 
intestines,  believed  to  be  the  seat  of  thought,  be  examined.  Previous  to 
engaging  in  war,  human  sacrifices  were  generally  offered,  and  the  first 
prisoners  taken  in  battle  were  kept  for  the  altar.  The  priests  numbered 
the  victims,  while  the  king  saw  that  they  were  furnished,  either  from 
persons  held  for  some  misdemeanour  or  taken  wherever  they  happened 


WOOD  SCENE,  VOLCANO  ROAD. 


THE  FAR  EAST. 


to  be  found.  The  victims  were  slain  with  clubs,  at  the  place  mentioned, 
and  then  laid  on  the  altar  to  decay. 

There  were  also  temples  of  refuge,  called  puuhonuas,  on  the  island  of 
Hawaii,  one  of  these  being  located  at  Waipoo,  where  the  great  heiau 
existed  for  many  years,  known  as  Paa-kalcini.  The  gates  of  the  puhonuas 
were  guarded  by  the  priests  and  always  open.  Any  one  who  succeeded  in 
gaining  these  retreats  was  safe  from  king  or  priest,  be  he  chief  or  slave, 
a warrior  escaping  from  the 
enemy  or  a criminal  flying 
from  justice.  The  puhonua 
mentioned  existed  until  the 
destruction  of  the  temples  and 
overthrow  of  paganism  in  1S19. 

It  will  be  seen  from  this  brief 
outline  that  the  religion  of  the 
early  Hawaiians  was  a strange 
compound  of  idolatrous  forms 
and  sacrifices  founded  upon  the 
Jewish  account  of  the  creation, 
fall  of  man,  revolt  of  Lucifer, 
the  deluge  and  repopulation  of 
the  earth.  One  of  the  most 
important  functions  of  this  re- 
ligion was  the  tabu,  which 
meant  restriction  or  denial  of 

. . . . ...  HAWAIIAN  WITH  MASK. 

certain  rights  and  privileges  to 

particular  persons  at  all  or  different  times.  It  was  a command  to  do  or 
not  to  do,  and  it  implied,  if  not  expressed,  “ obey  or  die.”  There  were 
three  kinds,  the  religious  tabus,  the  personal  or  perpetual  tabus,  and  the 
temporal  or  incidental  tabus.  The  last  was  the  most  pernicious,  as  it  was 
changeable,  and  less  understood  by  the  inhabitants  and  the  most  likely  to 
be  unwittingly  broken.  The- others  were  well  understood  by  the  people. 

No  one  was  acknowledged  the  power  of  tabu  unless  he  had  royal  lineage, 
that  is,  the  blood  of  nobility  flowing  in  his  veins  which  he  could  prove  by 
his  genealogical  record.  As  a distinguishing  feature  the  king  and  his 
priesthood  had  different  colours  denoting  their  tabus,  the  first  being  yellow 


HAWAII. 


63 


and  the  last  red.  Thus  mantles  made  from  the  feathers  of  the  oo  and 
mamo  could  be  worn  only  by  kings  and  princes.  Capes  of  a mingling  red 
and  yellow  were  worn  by  the  lower  nobility. 

The  priesthood  claimed  everything  pertaining  to  it  as  sacred,  or  tabu. 
The  pig  running  at  large  but  destined-  to  be  a part  of  the  regular  feast  or 
festival  was  tabu,  while  the  squid  and  turtle,  with  two  or  three  specimens 
of  birds,  belonged  only  to  the  food  of  the  nobility. 

Women  more  especially  than  the  men  felt  the  tabu.  No  female  was 
allowed  to  partake  of  the  plantain,  banana,  or  cocoanut,  the  flesh  of  swine 
or  certain  fish ; under  no  circumstance  was  she  permitted  to  eat  with  men. 

A common  tabu,  proclaimed  by  the  king’s  heralds,  required  simply  that 
the  people  abandon  their  daily  occupations  and  attend  the  services  at  the 
heiaus  or  temples.  The  religious  tabus  demanded  that  not  only  should 
work  be  stopped,  but  that  no  person  save  a priest  and  his  assistants  should 
leave  his  place  of  abode ; all  fires  and  lights  must  be  extinguished ; bath- 
ing for  the  time  given  up ; canoeing  ended  ; all  domestic  creatures  confined 
or  muzzled  so  as  not  to  break  the  silence,  which  was  not  broken  by  a 
word  spoken  above  a whisper.  Amid  this  silence  and  sacrifice  the  people 
imagined  they  were  pleasing  the  gods  highly. 

During  these  tabus  notice  not  to  enter  the  sacred  groves,  paths  or  bath- 
ing-places, the  grounds  of  the  temples  or  the  royal  residence  was  given  by 
placing  at  these  places  or  their  entrances  the  jjiiuloulou,  a tall  pole  tufted 
with  white  or  black  kapa.  General  tabus  were  made  to  please  the  gods  or 
in  celebration  of  some  important  event.  They  were  common  or  “ strict,” 
and  included  more  or  less  territory,  extending  in  time  from  one  to  ten 
days. 

However  foolish  or  despotic  a tabu  may  seem  to  have  been,  it  was  rarely 
broken,  as  those  in  power  deemed  it  extremely  dangerous  to  permit  any 
laxness  or.  the  part  of  the  people,  while  they  considered  it  as  a safeguard 
against  godly  wrath  and  vengeance. 


HULA  GIRLS. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


THE  LAST  DEFENDERS  OF  TIIE  OLD  FAITH. 


KAMEHAMEHA  I.  liad  died  in  the  faith  of  his  fathers.  The  Con- 
queror had  been  too  busy  with  his  wars  to  give  heed  to  the  waning 
influences  of  the  priests ; too  much  engrossed  in  strengthening  the 
temporal  powers  to  give  serious  thought  to  the  spiritual  well-being  of  his 
people.  13ut  the  broken  intercourse  with  the  foreigners  visiting  the  islands 
had  somewhat  affected  the  belief  of  the  masses.  They  had  seen  these 
strange  men  openly  violate  the  tabus  and  not  suffer  harm  ; they  had  seen 
them  stand  erect  in  the  presence  of  their  gods  and  not  be  stricken  down. 
So  they  began  to  question,  and  to  question  was  to  doubt,  the  divine  origin 
of  that  religious  code  which  affected  them  and  not  others. 

It  was  left,  however,  for  a woman  to  lead  in  the  tearing  down  of  the  old 
walls  of  barbarism,  and  leaving  the  field  open  to  whomsoever  happened  to 
come  that  way.  Still  this  was  not  done  from  the  purest  motives  — at  least 

not  instigated  from  love  for  the  people.  Upon  the  death  of  Kamehamelia 

04 


A Hawaiian  Hula  Dancer 


. 

. 


‘ 


HAWAII. 


65 


I.,  May  8,  1819,  Liholiho,  his  son,  succeeded  to  the  kingship,  with  his 
father’s  favourite  wife,  Kaahumanu,  second  in  authority  and  guardian  of 
the  realm.  It  was  this  woman  who  resolved  to  free  her  sex  from  the 
bondage  of  the  tabu. 

Though  given  prerogatives  which  placed  her  high  in  position  and  influ- 
ence, she  found  many  restrictions  placed  upon  her  actions  that  were  irk- 
some and  hard  to  bear.  Some  of  the  most  palatable  foods  were  denied 


NATIVES  PREPARING  FOOD. 


her  through  these  ancient  customs;  her  meeting  with  the  foreigners  was 
marred  by  certain  religious  interdictions,  in  which  she  was  being  continu- 
ally reminded  of  the  inferiority  of  her  sex.  She  must  have  been  a bold, 
ambitious  woman  who  could  deliberately  set  herself  about  this  herculean 
task.  That  she  was  equal  to  anything  that  she  chose  to  undertake  subse- 
quent events  proved. 

She  was  childless  herself,  and  having  no  one  to  turn  to  in  that 
direction,  she  first  sought  the  mother  of  the  young  king,  Keopuolani,  who 
was  won  over  to  her  support.  Then  she  boldly  approached  the  prime 


THE  FAR  EAST. 


66 


FERN  AND  FLOWER  GROWTH,  VOLCANO  ROAD. 


HAWAII. 


67 


minister,  Kalaimoku,  and  through  him  she  reached  the  high  priest,  Ilewa- 
liewa,  who  claimed  descent  from  the  renowned  Pao.  Though  the  political 
wife  of  the  great  conqueror,  who  always  approached  her  with  his  face  to 
the  earth,  Keopuolani  was  weak  in  her  decisions  and  easily  changed  in  her 
purpose.  Whatever  persuasion  Kaahumanu  used  upon  the  other  two, 
Hewahewa  must  have  yielded  from  a conviction  of  his  own.  He  was  a 
thinking  man,  who  had  delved  deeper  than  all  others  into  this  mystery 


HAN  AN  A PATCH. 


of  pagan  worship,  and  seen  many  of  its  absurdities.  But  to  enter  this 
conspiracy  meant  more  to  him  than  his  companions.  lie  had  all  to  lose  or 
gain.  Supreme  in  his  present  position  as  the  honoured  head  of  a system  as 
old  as  tradition,  to  take  up  this  work  meant  a sacrifice  of  everything.  A 
faint  inkling  of  the  new  creed  had  come  to  his  inquiring  mind,  and  he 
firmly  took  his  chances  with  the  strong-minded  Kaahumanu. 

If  the  son  of  a conqueror,  like  his  mother,  Liholiho  was  a weakling. 
His  father  had  so  firmly  established  his  power  that  wars  were  not  looked 


68 


THE  FAR  EAST. 


for,  and  Liholilio  had  spent  his  youth,  not  as  his  father  had,  in  warlike 
practices,  but  in  idleness  and  dissipation.  It  was  this  fact,  realised  by  the 
late  king,  which  had  caused  Kaahumanu  to  have  been  given  so  much  voice 
in  the  rule,  and,  if  Liholilio  reigned  unworthily,  the  power  to  assume 
entire  control  of  th  j kingdom. 

At  the  end  of  his  season  of  mourning,  while  he  tarried  away  from  the 
royal  palace,  Kaahumanu  sent  the  young  king  a message  that  upon  his 
return  she  should  set  the  gods  at  defiance  by  breaking  the  tabu.  Liholilio 
had  already  learned  that  there  was  a growing  sentiment  against  certain 
restrictions,  and  the  high  priest  had  warned  him  that  the  power  of  the 
priesthood  was  near  its  end.  Trembling  for  the  result,  particularly  to  him- 
self, if  it  should  be  done,  he  delayed  his  return  to  Kailua  as  long  as  possible. 

Finally,  on  October  1,  1819,  lie  set  sail  with  a fleet  of  four  canoes  toward 
the  royal  palace,  taking  passage  himself  on  the  foremost  and  largest  of  the 
craft.  Around  him  were  his  queen,  his  royal  treasurer,  and  others  of  note 
and  power  in  the  kingdom.  Dreading  his  arrival  at  their  destination,  as  it 
was  likely  to  bring  a crisis  in  affairs,  the  worried  king  allowed  his  little 
fleet  to  move  leisurely  along  the  coast,  the  sails  being  set  to  catch  just 
enough  wind  to  keep  them  on  their  course.  Carousings  then  began  in  the 
royal  quarters,  hula  dancers  appearing  on  the  exciting  scene,  their  light  feet 
moved  to  music  of  drums  and  rattling  of  calabashes.  Intoxicating  liquors 
were  passed  from  one  to  another,  until  such  carousals  were  under  way  as 
had  never  been  witnessed  on  the  eight  Hawaiian  seas. 

In  the  midst  of  this  drunken  revelry  the  king,  not  to  be  outdone,  tossed 
into  the  water  two  bottles  of  liquor,  shouting  : 

“ Drink,  Kuula  ! drink,  Ukanipo  ! Let  the  water-gods  be  as  drunk  as 
men  ! ” 

“ Let  us  hope  the  gods  may  not  be  hopelessly  offended,”  remarked  a 
companion. 

“ Then  you  have  not  lost  faith  in  the  gods,  Laanui  ? ” asked  the  king. 

“ Never,”  replied  the  surprised  attendant,  and  the  king  dared  not 
continue  the  conversation. 

Two  days  later  Liholilio  appeared  at  the  feast  prepared  for  his  reception 
at  Kailua,  and  the  quick-eyed  Kaahumanu  knew  that  he  was  in  the  right 
condition  to  commit  some  flagrant  act  against  the  tabu  if  shrewdly 
managed.  Once  an  offence  committed,  he  would  be  forced  to  take  a bold 


HAWAII. 


GO 


stand  in  her  favour.  Hewahewa  was  still  determined  to  carry  out  his  part, 
and  Keopuolani  was  still  faithful.  Accordingly  the  king  was  bantered  to 
drink  with  the  females  of  the  household,  and  he  did  not  refuse.  Thereupon 
his  mother  ate  a banana  in  his  presence,  and  drank  the  milk  of  a cocoanut. 
This  caused  the  desperate  monarch  to  declare  that  he  would  openly  break 
the  tabu  that  day. 

“At  the  feast?”  asked  Kaa- 
humanu. 

“ At  the  feast,”  he  replied. 

“ Then  you  will  be  greater 
than  your  father,  and  it  will  be 
the  proudest  day  Hawaii  ever 
knew,”  said  the  crafty  schemer. 

But  even  then  the  conspira- 
tors did  not  dare  to  allow  the 
king  out  of  their  sight,  until 
they  all  took  their  seats  at  the 
prospective  tables,  when  Lilio- 
liho’s  courage  began  to  leave 
him,  as  he  gazed  on  the  wooden 
images  of  Ku  and  Lono  just 
opposite  him.  In  a frenzy  he 
seized  a glass  of  liquor,  which 
he  drained  at  one  quaff.  Hewa- 
hewa, believing  the  critical  moment  had  come,  rose,  and  lifting  his  hands, 
said  in  an  impressive  voice  : 

“ In  peace  may  we  eat,  one  and  all,  and  let  our  hearts  return  thanks  to 
the  one  and  only  god  of  all.'' 

The  king  listened  and  his  sinking  courage  revived.  Rising  impetuously, 
he  crossed  over  to  where  the  women  were  seated  at  the  table  reserved  for 
them,  and  seated  himself  by  his  mother’s  side.  Silence  now  reigned 
on  every  hand,  while  one  and  all  watched  the  king,  whom  they  believed  to 
he  drunk.  Never  had  the  gods  been  so  defied  and  the  offender  spared,  as 
far  as  they  knew.  Then  surprise  gave  place  to  horror  and  consternation, 
as  they  saw  the  king  partake  of  the  food  prepared  for  the  women.  Some 
of  those  present  hastily  left  the  tables  ; others,  seeing  that  the  high  priest 


70 


THE  FAR  EAST. 


seemed  to  sanction  the  kingly  example,  watched  the  scene  with  breathless 
interest. 

“ The  tabu  is  broken  ! ” some  one  whispered.  Others  took  up  the  words, 
until  passed  from  lip  to  lip  the  cry,  “ The  tabu  is  broken  ! ” The  murmur 
swelled  in  volume  to  a shout  heard  beyond  the  pavilion,  and  taken  up  by 
the  crowd  outside,  was  carried  to  the  remotest  corner  of  Kona. 

The  royal  feast  over  and  the 
multitude  clamorous  over  the  late 
proceedings,  Hewahewa  capped  the 
climax  by  saying : 

“ Seeing  we  have  made  such  a 
bold  beginning,  my  king,  we  can 
stop  only  with  the  death  of  the 
gods  and  the  destruction  of  the 
lieiaus ! ” 

“ So  be  it ! ” exclaimed  the  des- 
perate Liholiho,  who  was  beginning 
to  realise  what  he  had  done.  “ If 
the  gods  can  punish,  we  have  done 
enough  already  to  cost  us  our  lives. 
Down  with  the  gods  and  let  the  full 
measure  of  their  wrath  make  merry 
our  fates ! ” 

First  resigning  publicly,  then 
and  there,  his  priestly  office,  llewa- 
hewa  applied  the  torch  to  the 
sacred  temple,  and  the  smoke  aris- 

1SATHING  POOL,  NUUANU  VALLEY. 

ing  above  the  smouldering  ruins 
of  that  day  spread  until  it  was  wafted  from  Hawaii  to  Niihau,  until 
the  lieiaus,  images,  and  sacred  belongings  of  a religion  more  than  fifteen 
hundred  years  old  were  ashes,  and  the  reverential  people  of  the  island 
kingdom  without  a religion  or  the  knowledge  of  a god. 

If  a weak  king  had  yielded  blindly  to  this  astounding  overthrow  of 
religious  principles,  there  were  those  with  belief  in  the  old  faith  strong 
enough,  and  with  the  courage  of  their  convictions  bold  enough  to  attempt 
to  stay  the  tide  of  events.  The  leader  in  this  defence  was  a cousin  of  the 


HAWAII. 


king,  one  Kekuaokalani,  a true  Kamehameha,  both  in  physique  and 
warlike  spirit.  Standing  a full  head  above  the  ordinary  men  in  height, 
there  was  not  a chief  in  all  Hawaii  with  a more  superb  figure,  and  he  was 
as  brave  and  sagacious  as  he  was  tall  and  handsome.  Having  no  taste  for 
the  frivolities  of  the  court,  and  there  being  no  war  for  him  to  develop 
his  natural  energies  and  inclinations,  he  had  turned  his  mind  to  the  priest- 
hood. Beginning  by  mastering  the  historic  meles,  he  advanced  step  by 


WAIPIO  LANDING. 

step,  until  he  stood  next  in  rank  to  the  high  priest,  and  the  equal  in 
every  other  way  to  the  wise  Hewahewa.  Younger  than  the  latter,  as 
learned  in  the  esoteric  lore  and  the  secret  symbols  of  the  religious  code, 
while  humane  and  generous,  he  was  expected  to  succeed  him  when  the 
other  laid  aside  the.  priestly  mantle.  Kekuaokalani  was  happy  in  the 
companionship  of  a wife  who  appreciated  the  nobility  of  his  character, 
and  bestowed  upon  him  the  full  wealth  of  her  affections,  as  she  might 
have  worshipped  a god. 


72 


THE  FAR  EAST. 


This  loyal  supporter  of  the  old  religion  was  present  at  the  feast  when 
Liholiho  violated  the  tabu,  and  he  listened  with  dismay  when  the  king 
decreed  the  destruction  of  the  temples.  With  horror  in  his  heart  he  saw 
Hewahewa  apply  the  torch  to  the  heiau  where  they  had  worshipped 
together,  and  the  strong  man  wept,  throwing  himself  on  the  ground, 

and  praying  that  his  sight 
might  be  blasted  before  he 
should  be  called  upon  to  wit- 
ness another  scene  of  such 
desecration. 

Understanding  the  condition 
of  Liholiho  at  the  time,  he 
found  an  excuse  for  him,  but 
Keakuaokalani  sought  the  high 
priest,  believing  that  he  must 
have  acted  under  some  strange 
power  which  had  rendered  him 
unaccountable  for  his  actions. 
His  feelings  may  be  imagined 
when  he  found  Hewahewa  not 
only  clear  in  mind,  hut  with  a 
heart  in  accord  with  what  the 
king  and  he  had  done.  In  his 
anguish  he  exclaimed : 

“ To  think  that  I should 
have  lived  to  hear  a high 
priest  of  the  blood  of  Pao  — ” 
“ 1 am  not  the  high  priest,” 

WILDWOOD  TANGLE  ON  VOLCANO  ROAD. 

replied  Hewahewa,  calmly. 

“ 1 have  advised  the  king  to  that  effect.” 

“ Then  the  vacant  place  is  mine,”  said  Kekuaokalani. 

“ By  whose  appointment  ? ” 

“ The  trinity  of  gods,  whose  temples  you  have  turned  to  ashes,”  an- 
swered Kekuaokalani,  starting  in  the  direction  of  the  pavilion.  Upon 
reaching  the  place  he  lifted  from  the  ruins  the  mutilated  and  dis- 
honoured image  of  the  god  Lono,  and  with  the  grim  form  upon  his 


NATIVES  MAKING  POI. 


HAWAII. 


i o 


shoulders  he  marched  defiantly  past  the  king’s  mansion  and  dis- 
appeared. 

During  the  week  that  followed,  the  work  of  destruction  to  the  temples 
went  on,  with  here  and  there  mutterings  against  the  wholesale  slaughter. 
From  these  scattered  and  dissatisfied  opposers,  largely  the  priests  who  had 
been  suddenly  wrested  of  their 
fat  offices,  a formidable  con- 
spiracy was  formed  to  reinstate 
the  whole.  The  people  might 
be  willing  to  give  up  the  tabu 
at  the  word  of  a capricious 
king,  but  the  priesthood  would 
not  consent  to  see  their  craft 
robbed  of  its  ancient  glory. 

Idols  of  all  sorts  were  snatched 
from  the  burning  heiaus,  and 
around  the  desecrated  gods  a 
thousand  excited  and  maddened 
persons  gathered  to  reiterate 
their  allegiance  to  the  old 
faith,  and  fight  for  it  if  need 
be. 

Liholiho  was  inclined  to  treat 
the  reports  of  the  rebellion 
lightly, until  Hewahewa  pointed 
out  to  him  that  Kekuaokalani 
would  naturally  become  the 
leader. 

“ Then  take  forty  warriors 

and  bring  him  a prisoner  to  Kailua,”  ordered  the  king. 

“It  may  be  tried,  my  king,”  said  Hewahewa,  “but  not  forty  times 
forty  warriors  can  bring  Kekuaokalani  here  a prisoner.  Let  him  alone ; 
it  would  but  excite  the  multitude.  Without  him  the  revolt  will  amount 
to  nothing ; with  him  it  means  war.” 

“ Let  him  be  bribed  to  peace,  since  you  will  have  it  so.” 

“ Only  one  bribe  can  purchase  Kekuaokalani.’ 


OX  Till:  ROAD  FROM  HILO  TO  THE  VOLCANO. 


74 


THE  FAR  EAST. 


“ And  that  ? ” asked  the  king,  hopefully. 

“ Must  be  the  rebuilding  of  the  heiaus  and  the  restoration  of  the  tabu.” 

Liholiho  was  silenced.  However,  preparations  for  war  were  begun,  and 
a few  days  later  the  royal  army,  numbering  nearly  two  thousand  warriors, 
moved  toward  the  district  of  Kaawaloa,  where  the  rebels  had  made  their 
headquarters. 

As  Hewahewa  had  predicted,  Kekuaokalani  had  been  made  leader  of 
the  insurgents,  and  believing  that  he  had  been  selected  by  the  will  of  the 


NEAlt  THE  PALI. 

outraged  gods  for  their  defence,  he  acted  with  such  energy  and  enthusiasm 
that  within  a short  time  he  found  himself  at  the  head  of  a force  scarcely 
inferior  to  that  of  the  king.  lie  had  good  reason  to  believe  in  a fulfilment 
of  his  dreams,  and  witli  the  stern  incentive  that  sent  these  warriors  to 
battle,  the  fate  of  the  line  of  Kameliameha  was  seriously  threatened. 

A few  days  later  the  rebels  met  and  put  to  rout  the  royal  army.  It 
was  now  the  season  of  tabu,  the  live  days  between  the  winter  solstice  and 
the  new  year  sacred  to  festivities  to  Lono,  and  at  a heiau  near  Kaawaloa 
that  he  had  saved  from  destruction,  Kekuaokalani  offered  renewed  sacri- 


fices  to  the  gods  and  prayed  for  final  triumph.  The  king  now  made  over- 
tures of  peace,  which  were  candidly  considered,  but  as  no  promise  of  what 
he  was  fighting  for  was  given  he  sadly  shook  his  head. 

“ Then,”  said  Keopuolani,  the  king’s  mother,  who  had  been  selected  for 
this  delicate  mission,  with  sorrow,  “ I must  say  to  Liholiho  that  Kekuao- 
kalani  will  have  nothing  but 
war  ? ” 

“ Not  so,  honoured  mother 
of  princes,”  replied  Kekuao- 
kalani,  in  a tone  of  deep  re- 
spect, and  so  impressive  that 
the  listeners  were  awed. 

“ Say  to  Liholiho  that  Keku- 
aokalani,  the  last  of  the  high 
priests  it  may  be,  prefers  to 
die  in  defence  of  the  gods  in 
whose  service  he  has  devoted 
his  life.  If  they  are  what  he 
believes  them  to  be,  their 
temples  will  rise  again ; if 
they  are  not,  then  he  wishes 
to  hide  his  disappointment 
under  the  green  sward.” 

That  very  night  he 
marched  • his  army  in  the 
direction  of  Kailua,  and  the 
next  morning  the  hostile 
forces  met  at  Kuamoo. 

Forming  his  men  in  battle 
line,  Kekuaokalani  sent  his  high  priest  to  the  front  with  several  newly 
made  gods,  and  he  delivered  an  impassioned  address  to  his  warriors, 
calling  upon  them  in  terms  of  burning  eloquence  to  defend  with  their 
lives  the  gods  of  their  fathers. 

The  royal  army  was  now  led  by  Kalaimoku,  the  prime  minister,  but  so 
heroically  did  the  rebels  fight  that  the  battle  opened  in  their  favour,  and 
would  doubtless  have  ended  in  the  total  annihilation  of  the  king’s  forces 


SEKIES  OF  CASCADES. 


76 


THE  FAR  EAST. 


had  it  not  been  for  their  superiority  of  weapons,  having  many  firearms, 
and  the  assistance  of  some  foreigners.  1 1 is  warriors  finally  breaking  in  a 
panic  before  the  deadly  fire  of  a battalion  of  musketeers,  Kekuaokalani, 
already  seriously  wounded,  rallied  them  under  cover  of  a stone  wall. 
Here  such  a desperate  stand  was  made  that  again  it  looked  so  they  were 
to  gain  the  victory.  But  this  situation  was  near  the  shore,  and  a squadron 
of  double  canoes  under  command  of  Kaahumanu  appeared  on  the  scene  at 
the  opportune  moment.  These  warriors  sent  such  a volley  of  shot  from 
the  rear  that  the  insurgents  were  obliged  to  scatter,  never  to  rally  again. 
The  few  who  managed  to  escape  fled  to  the  hills.  Kekuaokalani,  whose 
tall  form  had  been  everywhere  present  in  the  brunt  of  the  fight,  was 
struck  by  a stray  shot,  and  fell  with  a bullet  in  his  heart.  As  he  expired 
a woman’s  voice  rang  out  above  the  medley  of  cries,  and  the  dead  priest’s 
wife,  who  had  hovered  near  the  scene  and  herself  rendered  many  effective 
blows,  sprang  to  his  side.  A bullet  at  that  moment  pierced  her  temple, 
and  she  dropped  lifeless  on  the  body  of  her  husband. 

The  first  to  reach  them  was  Kalaimoku,  who  said  impressively,  as  he 
gazed  on  the  noble  features  of  the  dead  priest : 

“ Truly,  since  the  days  of  Kcawe,  a grander  Hawaiian  has  not  lived 
than  Kekuaokalani.” 

In  this  manner  died  the  last  defenders  of  the  Hawaiian  gods,  and  they 
sleep  where  they  fell  on  the  battle-field  of  Kuamoo.  A rude  monument 
fittingly  symbolising  their  wild  natures  marks  the  spot,  and  the  Hawaiian 
passing  the  place  to-day  bows  reverently,  believing  that  kona,  the  south 
wind,  attunes  itself  to  a mournful  requiem  for  the  departed  ones  who  died 
so  bravely  for  the  lost  cause. 


GRASS  HOUSE  AND  LUAU, 


I 


CHAPTER  VII. 

MISSIONARY  WORK. 

INCIDENTS  of  little  moment  in  themselves  often  lead  to  important  and 
wide-spread  consequences.  A small  boy,  dusky-skinned,  brown-eyed, 
clad  in  scanty  raiment,  and  a stranger  in  a strange  land,  found  on  the 
doorsteps  of  a resident  graduate  of  Yale  College,  proved  a messenger  to 
awaken  the  church  of  New  England  to  the  condition  of  the  inhabitants  of 
the  Sandwich  Islands  as  no  one  else  had.  Between  his  sobs  he  told  in 
broken  language  a pathetic  tale  of  the  sacrifice  of  parents  to  the  rites  of  a 
pagan  people,  of  his  flight  with  a young  brother  and  two  friends  to  save 
themselves  from  a similar  fate,  of  the  capture  and  putting  to  death,  before 
their  eyes,  of  his  little  brother,  of  the  final  escape  of  himself  and  com- 
panions, who  managed  to  conceal  themselves  on  an  American  vessel,  and 
eventually  reached  this  country.  A Mr.  Dwight,  who  listened  to  this 
story  with  great  interest,  took  the  three  under  his  charge,  teaching  them 
the  English  language,  and  in  turn  learning  all  he  could  of  the  island  king- 
dom. This  boy,  Opukahaia,  did  not  live  to  see  his  dream  of  freeing  his 

77 


78 


THE  FAR  EAST. 


people  realised,  but  his  two  friends,  ten  years  later,  at  the  very  time  the 
last  defenders  of  the  old  religion  of  Hawaii  were  meeting  their  tragic 
fates,  were  among  a little  congregation  of  courageous  men  and  women 
organised  in  Park  Street  Church,  Boston,  with  the  express  purpose  of 
carrying  the  light  of  Christianity  to  the  benighted  race. 

This  little  band,  besides  the  two  young  Hawaiians,  Kamoree  and  Hopu, 
was  composed  of  nineteen  persons,  two  young  graduates  of  Andover 
Theological  Seminary,  Iliram  Bingham  and  Asa  Thurston,  Dr.  Thomas 


LAVA  LAKE. 


Holman,  Samuel  Ruggles,  a teacher,  Samuel  Whitney,  a mechanic,  Daniel 
Chamberlain,  a farmer,  and  Elisha  Loomis,  a printer,  all  with  their  wives, 
and  five  children  belonging  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chamberlain.  This  party 
left  Boston  on  the  brig  Thaddeus,  October  23,  1819,  and,  after  a six 
months’  voyage  around  Cape  Horn,  on  March  31,  1820,  the  snow-clad 
peaks  of  Mauna  Kea  rose  before  the  vision  of  the  weary  seafarers. 

They  were  received  by  the  foreign  population  of  the  islands  with  oppo- 
sition, but  the  king  granted  the  missionaries  permission  to  tarry  a year. 
Mr.  Bingham,  assisted  by  his  laymen,  Messrs.  Loomis  and  Chamberlain. 


HAWAII. 


79 


began  work  at  Oahu.  Soon  the  printing-press  of  the  former  was  run- 
ning, and  the  first  spelling-books  for  these  people  were  printed.  Messrs. 
Ruggles  and  Whitney  went  to  Kauai,  where  a chapel  and  school  were  soon 
built,  the  king  and  his  chiefs  being  among  their  first  pupils  both  in  the 
teachings  of  church  and  school.  Rev.  Asa  Thurston  and  Doctor  Holman, 
with  their  wives,  settled  at  Kailua,  on  the  island  of  Hawaii,  which  historic 
spot  is  still  pointed  out  to  tlie  newcomer  as  one  of  great  interest. 

The  Hawaiians  were  peculiarly  well  situated  to  receive  the  doctrines 
of  the  teachers  of  the  new  faith.  They  have  always  been,  indeed,  quick 
to  grasp  any  form  of  knowledge,  and  the  missionaries  found  fertile  fields 
for  their  religious  cultivation.  The  little  handful  of  religious  workers  in 
four  years  found  as  many  thousand  earnest  converts.  Among  the  first 
to  accept  the  new  faith  was  the  chiefess,  Kapiolani,  who  was  six  feet  tall 
and  with  the  haughty  air  of  the  ancient  nobility.  Knowing  better  than 
the  missionaries  the  depth  of  the  superstition  which  still  lingered  in  the 
hearts  of  the  people,  she  resolved  to  teach  them  a lesson  they  would  not 
soon  forget.  Thus  she  planned  a visit  to  the  crater  of  Kilauea,  the  abode 
of  the  goddess  Pele,  then  most  feared  and  revered  by  the  common 
masses.  A party  of  curious,  excited  watchers,  with  awed  looks  and 
trembling  steps,  followed  her  to  the  sacred  spot. 

As  she  drew  near  the  dwelling  of  the  fiery  goddess,  she  was  met  by 
the  priestess  of  Pele,  who  demanded  her  errand.  Upon  telling  her  object, 
without  revealing  the  real  motive  prompting  it,  and  quoting  passages 
from  the  Scripture,  she  was  forbidden  to  proceed.  At  the  brink  of  the 
crater  she  was  met  by  a missionary,  Mr.  Goodrich,  who  had  caused  a 
shelter  to  be  built  for  her,  where  the  brave  chiefess  passed  the  night.  In 
the  morning,  accompanied  by  the  missionary  and  several  believing  Ha- 
waiians, with  half  a hundred  doubters  lingering  near  by,  she  descended 
into  the  crater  to  a place  called  the  “ black  ledge,”  where  she  paused  in 
sight  of  the  seething  fire.  In  her  hand  she  carried  a bunch  of  ohelo 
berries,  held  sacred  to  the  goddess.  These  berries  she  deliberately  ate 
in  plain  sight  of  the  amazed  spectators,  and  threw  the  stones  into  the 
burning  lake,  crying  : 

“ Thus  do  I defy  thee,  0 Pele ! Jehovah  is  my  God.  He  kindles 
these  fires  and  he  preserves  me  in  breaking  your  tabus.” 

Then,  while  the  awestricken  beholders  looked  on  in  silence,  a hymn  of 


80 


THE  FAR  EAST. 


praise  was  sung,  when  all  knelt  in  humble  recognition  of  the  great 
creator  of  the  universe.  Kapiolani’s  brave  act  served  to  a considerable 
extent  to  remove  the  superstition,  though  it  was  impossible  to  destroy  at 
once  the  belief  of  ages.  It  was  made  the  occasion  of  a poem  by  Tennyson. 

Other  missionaries,  from  time  to  time,  followed  the  pioneers  we  have 
mentioned,  conspicuous  among  them  being  the  Rev.  Titus  Coan,  a native 
of  the  state  of  Connecticut,  New  England,  who  with  his  young  wife 
landed  at  Milo  in  the  early  part  of  1835.  He  immediately  took  charge 
of  the  district  on  the  eastern  coast  of  Hawaii,  covering  a territory  a 


VIEW  NEAR  HILO. 


hundred  miles  in  length.  Horses  in  those  days  were  not  numerous,  nor 
had  the  few  there  been  trained  to  domestic  use,  so  he  had  to  go  on  foot 
through  pathless  forests,  or  by  canoe  along  streams  winding  through 
intricate  wildernesses,  often  at  great  peril.  During  the  first  year  he 
made  a complete  circuit  of  the  island,  a journey  of  over  three  hundred 
miles.  He  converted  fifteen  thousand  persons  during  his  lifetime. 

Rev.  Thomas  Lyman,  who  had  been  in  Hilo  a few  years  before  the 
arrival  of  Mr.  Coan,  lent  his  assistance  toward  establishing  a station  at 
that  place,  and  so  great  and  wide-spread  was  the  revival  that  the  natives 
flocked  thither  from  all  parts  of  the  island,  until  their  grass  and  banana 
huts  clustered  as  thick  as  they  could  stand  for  a mile  back  from  the 


DIAMOND  HEAD  FROM  THE  PUNCHBOWL. 


HAWAII. 


81 


seashore.  Hilo’s  population  increased  from  one  to  ten  thousand  at  once. 
This  big  camp-meeting  continued  for  two  years. 

As  neither  houses  nor  churches  had  seats  at  that  time,  the  seekers 
after  the  baptism  were  seated  in  long  rows  on  the  ground,  facing  each 
other,  the  missionary  passing  along  between  them,  sprinkling  their  bowed 
heads  on  one  side  and  then  on  the  other,  until  he  had  gone  the  entire 
length,  when  he  pronounced  these  words:  “ I now  proclaim  you  all 


DIAMOND  HEAD. 


baptised  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost.”  This  was 
repeated  until  the  last  row  had  been  taken  into  the  church.  It  is  a pleas- 
ant fact  to  record  that  less  than  a quarter  of  a century  later  these  same 
little  hamlets  had  settled  over  them  ministers  from  their  own  race,  and 
neat  little  wooden  buildings  had  taken  the  places  of  the  grass  huts  and 
open-air  churches. 

A thrilling  incident  occurred  during  this  protracted  revival  which  fixed 
itself  indelibly  on  the  minds  of  the  missionaries,  while  giving  terror 
to  the  hearts  of  the  superstitious  natives.  On  November  7,  18.i7, 


82 


THE  FAR  EAST. 


Mr.  Coan  and  his  colleague  had  preached  to  audiences  of  from  five 
to  seven  thousand,  four  sermons  as  usual,  and  the  former  was  just 
returning  from  the  funeral  of  a Hawaiian  child,  when,  without  any  pre- 
vious warning,  the  placid  ocean  suddenly  upheaved,  lifting  gigantic  wave 
after  wave  upon  the  shore  ; these,  following  each  other  with  the  speed  of 
race-horses,  swept  the  coast  for  a long  distance  back,  carrying  men,  women, 
children,  dogs,  houses,  canoes,  — in  short  everything  movable, — off  on  their 
foaming  breasts.  Wildest  excitement  imaginable  reigned,  the  shrieks  of 

the  hapless  persons  and  crea- 
tures drowned  by  the  roar  of 
the  billows.  It  was  well  then 
the  struggling  people  in  the 
embrace  of  the  angry  elements 
belonged  to  an  amphibious  race, 
or  many  more  must  have  been 
drowned  than  were.  Still,  stout 
swimmers  were  carried  far  out 
to  sea,  and,  in  spite  of  the  ready 
assistance  of  friends  and  des- 
perate efforts  to  escape,  quite  a 
number  were  lost.  The  cres- 
cent-shaped sand-beach,  with 
its  fringe  of  palms  and  shady 
groves  just  beyond,  the  most 
beautiful  spot  on  the  island, 
was  a scene  of  ruin  and  desola- 
tion. Mr.  Coan,  in  speaking 
of  the  awful  event  afterward,  said  that  the  opening  crash  sounded  as  if 
“ a mountain  had  fallen  on  the  beach.” 

Among  those  who  were  converted  by  Mr.  Coan  was  an  old  man  whose 
wife  had  been  dead  some  time,  and  who  entrusted  to  his  care  a young  son. 
One  night  after  his  father’s  conversion  the  little  boy  was  awakened  by  the 
tears  of  his  aged  relative  falling  on  his  face.  In  answer  to  his  inquiries, 
he  was  told  that  the  other  was  weeping  that  he  must  soon  leave  him  alone 
in  the  world.  Then,  after  this  good  old  man  had  besought  the  love  and 
grace  of  the  new-found  God  for  his  child,  his  spirit  took  its  flight,  leaving 


KERN  TREE. 


HAWAII. 


83 


the  crying  boy  alone  with  the  silent  body.  The  following  morning  kind 
relatives  took  him  to  live  with  them,  and  his  father’s  remains  were  borne 
to  rest  in  one  of  the  cavern  graves.  At  twelve  years  of  age  this  boy  for 
the  first  time  listened  to  one  of  Mr.  Coan’s  sermons,  was  converted,  and  at 
fifteen  was  preaching  the  gospel  in  his  native  tongue,  lie  afterward 
became  a student  at  the  theological  school  at  Honolulu,  and  was  ordained 
as  a minister  October  3,  1888.  lie  helped  translate  the  gospel  hymns 
into  his  native  language.  The  name  of  Samuel  Kapu  is  now  well  known 


MORMON  SETTLEMENT,  LANAI. 


as  a benefactor  among  his  people.  This  is  but  one  of  many  examples 
of  the  kind. 

Juty  7,  1827,  Roman  Catholic  missionaries  arrived  at  Honolulu.  They 
were  members  of  the  “ Congregation  of  the  Sacred  Hearts  of  Jesus  and 
Mary.”  Through  a misunderstanding,  trouble  soon  arose,  and  the  king, 
believing  they  were  trying  to  create  a division  among  the  people,  ordered 
them  to  leave  the  islands  in  January,  1832.  Seven  years  later  the  French 
government  sent  a frigate  to  Honolulu,  and  compelled  Kamehamelia  III. 
to  allow  some  Catholic  priests  to  land.  Catholicism  soon  gained  a foot- 
hold, and  to-day  there  are  not  far  from  twenty-five  thousand  belonging  to 
that  church  on  the  islands,  and  in  1898  sixty-two  churches  and  chapels. 


84 


THE  FAR  EAST. 


In  18G2  an  English  Reformed  Catholic  mission  was  sent  to  the  islands, 
and,  meeting  with  favour  from  Kamehameha  IV.,  who  was  not  in  as  much 
sympathy  with  the  Protestants  as  his  predecessors  had  been,  prospered, 
and  has  since  attracted  interest,  and  is  regularly  established. 

The  entire  number  of  the 
Protestant  missionaries  sent 
to  the  islands,  clerical  and 
lay,  with  their  wives,  has 
been  one  hundred  and  fifty- 
six.  The  cost  of  these  mis- 
sions, up  to  1862,  was  borne 
by  the  American  Board  of 
Missions,  when  it  withdrew 
the  financial  support  it  had 
been  generously  giving  the 
missionaries  for  forty  years. 
Of  the  several  religious  de- 
nominations which  prevail, 
the  Congregationalists  are 
the  most  numerous  and 
powerful.  Besides  these 
there  is  an  Episcopal,  a 
Methodist  Episcopal,  and  a 
Christian  church  in  Hono- 
lulu, and  a couple  of  Mor- 
mon churches.  Together  the 
Protestants  have  over  a 
hundred  churches  and  a 
membership  of  about  forty 
thousand. 

Though  labouring  in  a 
field  not  inappropriately  styled  “ Paradise,”  the  early  missionaries  led 
devoted  and  often  heroic  lives.  They  proved  to  be  more  than  the 
advisers  and  promulgators  of  the  spiritual  welfare  of  the  natives,  but 
became  their  temporal  counsellors,  as  well  as  preachers,  and  helped 
to  establish  a civil  government  capable  of  protecting  the  acquired  rights 


NATIVE  SHRIMP  CATCHER. 


HAWAII. 


85 


of  the  inhabitants.  Thus  the  term  missionary  in  Hawaii  is  used  in 
a broader  sense  than  elsewhere  in  the  world.  The  first  Kamehameha 
laid  the  corner-stone  of  a consolidated  government ; his  successor 
placed  another  milestone  on  the  historic  road  when  he  abolished  the 
tabus,  tore  down  the  temples,  and  burned  the  idols ; and  above  these 
still  smoking  ruins  the  missionaries  raised  the  finger-board  of  religious 
guidance  to  the  people  without  a god,  teaching  them,  also  without  lands, 
homes  or  family  ties,  that  the  homestead  was  the  seat  of  prosperity  and 
that  the  home  was  the  highest  kingdom  on  earth. 

Attempts  have  been  made  to  rob  them  of  much  of  the  credit  of  their 
work,  and  to  ascribe  selfish  motives  to  them.  That  they  may  have  erred 
in  minor  matters  is  true,  but  along  the  unswerving  line  of  human  prog- 
ress they  made  a record  well  worthy  of  study.  Coming  of  old  Puritan 
stock,  the  missionaries,  perhaps  prematurely,  made  a determined  effort  to 
transplant  New  England  ideas  of  civilisation  upon  the  indolent,  careless 
population  of  a clime  whose  every  influence  was  antagonistic  to  active 
duties.  Singularly  enough,  their  most  bitter  enemies  came  not  from  the 
people  they  were  working  to  uplift,  but  from  those  who,  like  themselves, 
were  aliens  in  the  land.  Many  of  these  were  those  who  fattened  upon  the 
harvest  of  the  spoils  coming  from  that  race  which  fell  easy  victims  to  the 
vices  as  well  as  converts  to  the  virtues  of  civilisation.  Whatever  faults 
may  be  found  with  them, — and  if  man  were  created  perfect  there  would  be 
no  calling  for  missionaries,  — it  is  certain  that  a new  era  dawned  upon  the 
island  kingdom  on  that  March  morning  in  1820,  when  the  little  band  of 
New  England  pilgrims  landed  on  the  shores  of  benighted  Hawaii. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


THE  HAWAIIAN  MAGNA  CHARTA. 

WHATEVER  may  be  the  natural  resources  of  a country,  or  how- 
ever great  its  possibilities,  its  progress  in  education  and  govern- 
ment depends  in  a very  considerable  measure  upon  its  political 
influences.  This  part  of  the  history  of  Hawaii  is  a checkered  one.  If 
there  have  been  no  sanguinary  wars  of  bloodshed,  there  have  been  stirring 
revolutions  and  many  critical  situations  when  the  fate  of  the  islands 
swung  in  the  balance  of  a precarious  power.  First  taught  by  American 
missionaries,  and  developed  under  the  influences  of  New  England  independ- 
ence, the  people  naturally  partook  of  puritanical  and  democratic  ideas  of 
government,  tempered  by  the  prevailing  atmosphere  of  a tropical  climate. 

It  is  the  inevitable  fate  of  a barbaric  race  to  fall  before  the  civilised 
power  entering  its  domains.  The  result  of  civilisation  to  the  Hawaiians, 
as  well  meant  as  it  was,  proved  pathetic  and  tragical,  bringing  the  deso- 
lation of  empty  huts  and  deserted  villages  on  hillside  and  in  valley.  In 
a little  over  a century  four  hundred  thousand  simple  people,  strong  in 
physique  but  weak  in  knowledge,  naked  but  not  ashamed,  godless  but 
without  a fear,  fell  victims  to  greeds  and  vices  hitherto  unknown  to  them, 
until  less  than  one-eighth  of  that  number  represented  the  picturesque  race. 
Fewer  feet  trod  each  year  the  silvery  sands  of  the  coral-banded  shores,  less 
frequent  and  fainter  have  come  their  soft-spoken  alohas,  — national  greet- 
ing, “love  to  you,”  — until  it  seems  that  the  Hawaiian  in  a few  years 
more  will  live  only  in  the  memory  of  the  Kamehamehas  and  the  legends 
of  a vanished  day. 

Several  reasons  are  advanced  as  an  excuse  for  this  decay  of  the  people. 
The  gravest  of  them  has  been  the  charge  of  infanticide.  If  that  charge 
were  true  Hawaii  would  have  been  depopulated  a long  time  ago,  according 
to  the  evidence  furnished.  But  before  the  advent  of  the  white  man  the 
islands  were  so  densely  populated  that  artificial  means  had  to  be  adopted 
to  support  the  inhabitants.  Ponds  were  built  for  the  storing  of  fish,  and 

86 


HAWAII. 


87 


tracts  enclosed  by  stone  walls  on  the  mountainsides,  where  families  were 
obliged  to  raise  more  than  they  needed  for  their  own  consumption  that 
they  might  help  to  feed  others.  Now  these  one-time  centres  of  life  and 
activity  are  scenes  of  solitude.  The  wild  vine  creeps  over  the  crumbled 
wall  and  the  unapproachable  lantana  covers  the  spot  where  the  tribal  circle 
congregated,  while  the  hills  and  valleys,  spanned  by  a line  of  ten  thousand 
men  who  passed  from  hand  to 
hand  the  blocks  of  lava  stone 
to  build  one  of  their  temples, 
are  now  overgrown  by  an  im- 
penetrable Hawaiian  forest. 

The  burdens  of  civilisation 
proved  too  heavy  for  the  slug- 
gish Hawaiian,  and  he  was 
crushed  by  their  weight. 

A well-known  missionary,  in 
speaking  of  this  candidly,  said  : 

“The  people,  like  all  savages, 
proved  very  susceptible  to  con- 
tagious diseases  and  the  vices 
of  civilisation.  The  measles, 
brought  here  from  California 
in  1848,  alone  claimed  one 
in  every  ten.  The  smallpox, 
which  also  came  from  Cali- 
fornia, five  years  later,  did  an 
equally  awful  work,  in  spite  of 
all  that  could  be  done  to  pre- 
vent it.  Thus,  disease  after 
disease  did  its  dreadful  part, 

until  the  leprosy,  a legacy  from  China,  added  the  last  and  most  horrible 
chapter  to  the  history  of  the  doomed  race.” 

With  a greater  devastation  than  that  wrought  by  the  epidemics,  from 
the  seeds  of  lust  and  drunkenness  sown  by  the  white  men  sprang  a blight 
which  completed  the  desolation  of  the  field.  If  the  Hawaiian  fell  an  easy 
victim  to  the  vices  of  others,  whose  is  the  blame  ? But  it  has  been  well 


SCREW  PALM  OK  PANDANUS. 


88 


TIIE  FAli  EAST. 


said  that  lie  dies  the  easiest  of  any  mortal.  Let  him  but  imagine  lie  has 
any  disease  and  it  amounts  to  the  same,  fixed  on  his  mind  as  on  his  con- 
stitution,— lie  dies!  Let  him  think  he  is  being  prayed  to  death,  and  lie 
sets  himself  about  to  answer  the  prayer.  Let  some  malicious  person  but 
name  the  day  of  his  demise,  and  lie  did  not  fail  to  respond  punctually. 
He  did  it,  too,  in  the  most  cheerful  mood,  with  a song  on  his  lips  and 
aloha  in  his  heart. 

Still  formerly,  if  not  now,  the  Hawaiian  lived  to  an  age  not  inferior 


BIRTHPLACE  OF  PRINCESS  RCTII,  HAWAII. 

to  ours,  though  the  youthfulness  of  the  features  and  the  suppleness 
of  the  figure  too  speedily  gave  way  to  the  wrinkled  skin  in  the  first 
case  and  the  fat,  squat  form  in  the  other.  Until  very  recently  it  was  not 
uncommon  to  meet  individuals  who  remembered  well  the  massacre  of 
Captain  Cook  and  other  as  well  authenticated  incidents  in  history,  which 
would  prove  that  in  the  past  generation  many  lived  to  the  allotted  three 
score  years  and  ten.  Their  simple  mode  of  living,  out-of-door  exercise,  free- 
dom from  care,  the  calm  of  their  surroundings,  the  favourable  climate,  all 
tended,  barring  accidents  or  unnatural  deeds,  to  give  them  long  life  and 


DIAMOND  HEAD. 


HAWAII. 


89 


perfect  health  and  bodies.  Given  a grass  'hut  for  shelter,  a pile  of  lauhala 
mats,  calabashes  or  shells  for  dishes  and  cupboards,  poi  for  food,  and  the 
Hawaiian  lived  and  dreamed  in  contentment,  happy,  though  he  knew 
it  not,  to  have  escaped  the  unrest  of  civilisation.  In  the  scenes  to  be 
described  this  continually  waning  influence  of  the  native  element  in 
government  should  be  borne  in  mind. 

As  has  been  shown  in  the  religious  history,  a most  despotic  feudal 
system  of  land  tenure  had 
existed  in  Hawaii  for  cen- 
turies. The  peasantry,  com- 
mon people,  could  not  be 
said  to  have  had  any  per- 
sonal rights.  Upon  Kame- 
hameha’s  conquest  the  most 
rigid  application  of  this 
principle  was  carried  out, 
which  meant  to  his  defeated 
enemies  loss  of  all  political 
power  and  wealth  of  lands, 
which  was  the  basis  of  such 
power.  At  first  the  island 
of  Kauai,  through  the  suc- 
cessful resistance  of  its  king, 
and  then  his  diplomacy  with 
the  Conqueror,  escaped  this 
fate;  but  a rebellion  insti- 
gated by  his  son  being  un- 
successful, the  insurgent  chiefs  were  subjected  to  a confiscation  of  their 
lands  and  the  annihilation  of  their  political  power.  Thus  the  Conqueror 
placed  himself  at  the  head  of  this  ancient  tenure  for  the  entire  group. 
This  fact  is  borne  out  by  the  land  commission  in  1847,  which  says  at 
opening: 

“When  the  islands  were  conquered  by  Kamehameha  I.  he  followed  the 
example  of  his  predecessors  and  divided  the  lands  among  his  principal 
warrior  chiefs,  retaining,  however,  a portion  in  his  hands  to  he  cultivated 
or  managed  by  his  own  immediate  servants  or  attendants.  Each  principal 


WAILUA  FALLS,  KAUAI. 


90 


THE  FAR  EAST. 


chief  divided  his  lands  anew,  and  gave  out  to  an  inferior  order  of  chiefs  or 
persons  of  rank,  by  whom  they  were  sub-divided  again  and  again,  passing 
through  the  hands  of  four,  five,  or  six  persons,  from  the  king  to  the  lowest 
class  of  tenants.  All  these  persons  wrere  considered  to  have  rights  in  the 
lands  or  productions  of  them.  The  proportions  of  these  rights  were  not 
very  clearly  defined,  but  were,  nevertheless,  universally  acknowledged.” 
Kamehameha  I.  lived  long  enough  and  ruled  firm  enough  to  settle  the 
matter  favourably  to  permanent  individual  rights  in  lands.  Upon  be- 
coming king,  Liholiho,  as  Kamehameha  II.,  desired  to  make  a redistri- 


DATE  PALM  AVENUE,  HOSPITAL  GROUNDS. 


bution  according  to  custom,  but  the  ambitious  Kaahumanu,  with  the 
existing  landed  interests  working  for  her,  defeated  this  scheme,  and  the 
old  distribution  of  land  made  by  the  Conqueror  in  1795  remained  practi- 
cally unchanged,  though  slightly  modified,  until  1845,  and  during  that 
period  of  over  forty  years  the  sovereign  held  a feudal  authority  over  the 
entire  landed  estate  of  the  kingdom,  though  exercised  with  decreasing 
oftenness. 

In  1820  Liholiho  moved  his  court  to  Honolulu,  which  proved  a wise 
course  of  action.  Anxious  to  broaden  his  ideas  with  those  of  other 
powers,  November  27,  1823,  the  king  and  his  queen  went  to  England, 


HAWAII. 


91 


where  they  were  courteously  received ; but  the  party  was  attacked  with 
the  measles  and  the  king  and  queen  both  died.  The  frigate  Blonde , com- 
manded by  Lord  Byron,  a cousin  of  the  poet  of  that  name,  was  commis- 
sioned to  convey  the  remains  of  the  unfortunate  king  and  queen,  with 
their  retinue,  to  their  native  land.  This  ship  reached  Honolulu  May  6, 
1825,  when  the  bodies  of  the  royal  couple  were  placed  in  a mausoleum, 
amid  impressive  funeral  ceremonies. 

Kamehameha  II.  having  died  without  naming  his  successor,  a young 
brother,  Kauikeaouli,  then  but  ten  years  old,  was  proclaimed  king  under 


MANGOES. 


the  title  of  Kamehameha  III.,  while  Kaahumanu  became  regent  and 
prime  minister. 

In  1826  Commodore  Jones  of  the  Peacock  visited  the  islands  and 
concluded  the  first  treaty  with  the  United  States.  The  following  year 
the  first  written  laws  were  issued  against  theft,  gambling,  adultery, 
and  murder. 

June  5,  1832,  Kaahumanu,  who  had  so  long  been  such  an  important 
person  in  the  management  of  affairs,  and  who  had  so  persistently  clung 
to  old  traditions  in  some  respects  while  seeking  to  destroy  others,  died, 
and  was  succeeded  by  the  king’s  half-sister  Kinau.  The  king’s  minority 


92 


THE  FAR  EAST. 


was  declared  to  be  at  an  end  in  March,  1833,  when  he  assumed  the  head 
of  the  government.  Though  but  a youth  of  twenty,  he  immediately 
interested  himself  in  public  affairs,  particularly  toward  the  land  matters. 
The  situation  of  the  common  people  was  now  not  only  defenceless,  but 
pitiable.  Under  the  existing  condition  the  utterance  of  two  Hawaiian 
words,  Ua  pau  (thou  art  dispossessed),  might  take  from  hundreds  of 
people,  innocent  of  any  greater  wrong  than  offending  a capricious  land 
agent,  their  lands  and  homes.  The  king  could  not  well  escape  the  growing 
responsibility  resting  on  his  shoulders.  The  result  was  that,  on  the  7th 


HONOLULU  IN  1840. 


day  of  June,  1839,  a golden  date  in  Hawaiian  history,  he  proclaimed  the 
famous  Declaration  of  Rights,  the  Magna  Charta  of  Hawaii,  which  made 
his  name  respected.  In  the  words  of  Sanford  B.  Dole : 

“ This  document,  though  showing  in  its  phrases  the  influence  of  Anglo- 
Saxon  principles  of  liberty,  of  Robert  Burns,  and  the  American  Declaration 
of  Independence,  is  especially  interesting  and  impressive  as  the  Hawaiian 
Magna  Charta,  not  wrung  from  an  unwilling  sovereign  by  force  of  arms, 
but  the  free  surrender  of  despotic  logic  of  events,  by  the  needs  of  his 
people,  and  by  the  principles  of  the  new  civilisation  that  was  dawning 
on  this  land.” 


THE  PUNCHBOWL. 


HAWAII. 


93 


The  Declaration  of  Rights,  which  guaranteed  religious  liberty  and 
formed  the  first  step  toward  establishing  individual  ownership  of  land, 
was  followed  by  the  first  written  constitution  on  October  8,  1840.  A 
legislature,  consisting  of  a House  of  Hereditary  Nobles,  and  Representa- 
tives to  be  elected  by  the  people,  was  instituted,  and  provision  made  for  a 
Supreme  Court. 

But,  with  the  rights  of  the  common  people  undefined,  and  no  precedent 
to  be  the  guide  in  carrying  out  the  professed  principles  of  the  ownership 
of  lands,  the  king  was  assailed  on  every  hand  by  storms  of  disputes 


t 


GATIIKRIXG  SUGAR  CASK. 


and  abuse.  The  English  and  French  consuls  rivalled  each  other  in  har- 
assing him  with  petty  grievances  generally  instigated  by  themselves. 

In  1839  the  Laplace  episode  took  place,  when  the  French,  in  the  hope 
of  making  an  excuse  to  seize  the  whole  group  of  islands,  made  unwar- 
ranted demands  on  the  king,  and  as  security  for  future  good  behaviour 
called  for  a deposit  of  $20,000.  To  the  chagrin  of  the  French,  American 
merchants  furnished  the  requisite  sum,  and  the  oppressed  king  was  allowed 
a brief  respite.  That  year,  in  the  rush  to  get  possession  ot  lands,  Messrs. 
Ladd  & Co.,  of  the  United  States,  the  pioneers  in  sugar  cultivation,  secured 
a franchise  which  gave  them  the  privilege  to  lease  for  a hundred  } ears 


94 


THE  FAR  EAST. 


any  unoccupied  lands  at  a low  rental.  These  rights  were  transferred  to 
a Belgian  colonisation,  and,  though  the  original  party  remained  in  the 
company,  the  king  found  himself  involved  in  difficulties  that  were  thorns 
in  Hawaiian  politics  for  several  years.  The  plots  continuing  to  thicken, 
in  1842,  the  British  consul,  Richard  Charleton,  took  his  turn  at  trying  to 
involve  the  island  government  in  troubles  that  would  give  him  a pretext 
to  claim  the  islands  in  the  name  of  Great  Britain.  He  made  demands  for 
lands  that  the  king  considered  illegal,  and  was  refused.  In  the  midst  of 
this  difficulty,  Sir  George  Simpson,  governor  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Com- 
pany’s territory,  arrived  at  the  islands.  He  advised  Kamehameha  III. 
to  send  an  embassy  each  to  the  United  States,  Great  Britain,  and 
France,  to  obtain,  if  possible,  some  acknowledgment  of  his  sovereignty. 
Rev.  William  Richards,  formerly  an  American  missionary,  Sir  George 
Simpson,  and  a native  chief  named  Haalilio  were  appointed  on  the  first 
commission. 

No  sooner  were  these  commissioners  started  than  Charleton,  leaving  as 
deputy  behind  him  a nephew  of  Lord  Simpson,  but  with  none  of  the  other’s 
honesty,  departed  for  England.  On  his  way  home  Charleton  met  Lord 
George  Paulet,  captain  of  the  British  frigate  Carysfort,  who  listened  to  the 
consul’s  scheme  with  favour,  and  hastened  at  once  to  the  island  kingdom, 
to  make  demands  he  knew  the  besieged  king  could  not  meet.  As  an 
alternative  he  asked  for  the  immediate  cession  of  the  islands,  or  he  would 
declare  war  in  the  name  of  Great  Britain  and  open  fire  on  the  Hawaiian 
capital.  In  this  dilemma  King  Kamehameha  issued  the  following  pathetic 
proclamation  : 

“ Where  are  you,  chiefs,  people,  and  commons  from  my  ancestors,  and 
people  from  foreign  lands  ? 

“ Hear  ye  ! I make  known  to  you  that  I am  in  perplexity  by  reason  of 
difficulties  into  which  I have  been  brought  without  cause,  therefore  I have 
given  away  the  life  of  our  land.  Hear  ye  ! but  my  rule  over  you,  my  peo- 
ple, and  your  privileges  will  continue,  for  I have  hope  that  the  life  of 
the  land  will  be  restored  when  my  conduct  is  justified. 

“ Done  at  Honolulu,  Oahu,  this  25th  day  of  February,  1843. 

“ Kamehameha  III. 

“ Kekauluohi.” 


HAWAII. 


95 


On  that  same  day  Lord  Paulet  took  formal  possession  of  the  islands,  the 
British  flag  was  run  up,  and  every  Hawaiian  flag  he  could  find  was  des- 
troyed. An  embargo  was  placed  on  every  native  vessel,  so  the  news 
of  the  seizure  could  not  be  carried  abroad  until  such  a time  and  in  such  a 
manner  as  he  chose,  and  a body  of  native  troops  was  organised.  For  five 
months  the  little  kingdom  was  governed  by  a mixed  commission  made 
up  of  Lord  Paulet,  Lieutenant  Frere,  Mr.  James  Mackay,  and  Dr.  G.  P. 
Judd,  the  latter  serving  but  a short  time. 


HONOLULU  HARBOUR. 


Lord  Paulet  was  exulting  over  the  prospect  to  him  and  his  confederates, 
as  soon  as  his  embassy  should  state  the  situation  from  their  standpoint  to 
the  British  queen.  King  Kamehameha  and  his  prime  minister,  Princess 
Kekauluohi,  on  the  other  hand,  had  taken  to  the  island  of  Maui  that  they 
might  be  spared  meeting  their  humiliation  face  to  face.  But  his  interests 
were  left  in  the  hands  of  Dr.  G.  P.  Judd,  who  proved,  with  the  ready 
Yankee  wit  and  daring  of  others,  to  be  a match  for  the  scheming  English- 
men. 

At  the  time  the  only  creditable  craft  on  the  islands  was  the  king’s 
yacht  Hoikaika  (swift  runner),  and  this  had  been  chartered  to  the  Ameri- 


96 


THE  FAR  EAST. 


can  house,  Messrs.  Ladd  & Co.,  for  a voyage  to  Mazatland  and  back.  This 
craft  had  not  started,  and  in  order  to  get  possession  of  it,  so  he  could  send 
his  despatch-bearer  to  England  at  once,  Paulet  offered  the  Americans  the 
privilege  of  sending  an  agent  on  the  vessel,  and  also  of  bringing  back  what- 
ever freight  they  wished,  if  they  would  relinquish  their  charter.  By  thus 
saving  the  whole  expense  of  the  trip,  the  offer  was  quickly  accepted,  with- 
out Lord  Paulet  dreaming  of  any  secret  purpose  underneath. 

The  truth  was  Doctor  Judd  had  seen  an  opportunity  to  communicate 


VALLEY  OF  MAUI. 


with  the  United  States  and  other  governments  without  arousing  suspicion, 
but  in  a manner  to  outwit  the  plotters.  This  was  to  make  of  the  commer- 
cial agent  of  Messrs.  Ladd  & Co.  a secret  ambassador  of  the  United  States 
and  Great  Britain.  The  American  merchants  were  only  too  glad  to  help 
the  unfortunate  king  in  this  venture,  and  a young  merchant  in  Honolulu, 
named  Marshall,  gladly  accepted  the  trust.  Mr.  Charles  Brewer,  a mer- 
chant in  Honolulu,  for  whom  young  Marshall  was  working,  agreed  to 
advance  the  necessary  funds  and  take  his  pay  in  firewood,  the  only  revenue 
left  to  the  king. 

In  order  to  be  in  readiness  to  start  properly  equipped  at  the  word  of 


Hawaiian  Children 


HAWAII. 


97 


Lord  Paulet,  who  was  impatient,  and  fitting  out  the  Hoikaika,  which  he 
had  rechristened  “ Her  Majesty’s  tender  Albert''  with  all  despatch  possi- 
ble, the  Americans  had  to  act  promptly.  There  was  no  lawyer  on  the 
islands,  so  Mr.  Marshall’s  credentials  were  copied  from  the  credentials  of 
John  Adams  as  the  first  American  minister  to  England  and  recorded  in 
the  old  Blue  Book.  Of  course  certain  changes  had  to  be  made  to  suit  this 
case,  and  these  papers  were  drawn  up  by  Doctor  Judd  and  another  in  the 
royal  tomb  at  Honolulu,  with  a king’s  coffin  for  a table.  This  done,  a 


WAIPIO  VALLEY. 


trusty  messenger  was  sent  to  find  the  king  and  his  premier,  who  signed 
the  documents  at  a midnight  meeting  on  the  shores  of  Waikiki.  The 
king  then  returned  to  his  rendezvous  on  Maui,  while  the  young  minister 
plenipotentiary  to  the  court  of  St.  James,  under  the  guise  of  a commercial 
agent,  went  on  his  important  errand,  leaving  Lord  Paulet  none  the  wiser  for 
the  secret  work.  The  American  consul  at  Honolulu  also  took  advantage 
of  the  opportunity  to  send  despatches  to  Washington  by  Marshall,  apprising 
the  American  government  of  the  situation  and  its  true  inwardness. 

The  effort  was  not  in  vain.  The  overgreedy  Paulet  failed  to  receive 
the  support  of  his  government,  and  Admiral  Thomas,  being  sent  to  investi- 


98 


THE  FAR  EAST. 


gate,  settled  the  matter  peacefully.  The  exiled  king  was  allowed  to  return 
to  his  office,  and  on  November  28th  of  the  same  year  England  and 
France,  in  a joint  declaration,  not  only  recognised  the  island  kingdom 
as  within  the  pale  of  civilised  nations,  but  mutually  agreed  “ never  to 
take  possession,  neither  directly  nor  under  the  title  of  protectorate,  nor 
under  any  form,  of  any  part  of  the  territory  of  which  they  are  composed.” 
To  this  compact  the  United  States  declined  to  become  a party,  though 
acknowledging  the  independence  of  Kamehameha’s  kingdom. 

Naturally  these  troubles  awakened  an  antipathy  against  allowing  for- 
eigners to  acquire  lands,  and  it  showed  the  king  that  he  needed  an  organ- 
ised government  outside  of  his  royal  house.  It  was  also  shown  that  a 
sound  and  judicious  code  of  laws  was  needed.  In  1845,  1846,  and  1847 
three  comprehensive  acts  were  carried  into  effect.  The  first  was  “ to 
organise  the  executive  ministry  of  the  Hawaiian  Islands ; ” the  second, 
“ to  organise  the  executive  department  of  the  Hawaiian  Islands ; ” and 
the  third  to  organise  the  judiciary  department  of  the  Hawaiian  Islands.” 
In  1846  the  first  volume  of  statute  laws  was  issued. 

From  the  councils  of  the  above  named  bodies  with  the  king  and  his 
chiefs,  it  was  decided  that  the  king  should  hold  his  private  lands  as  his 
individual  property,  to  descend  to  his  heirs  and  successors  ; the  balance 
to  be  divided  equally  between  the  chiefs  and  the  common  people.  This 
division  required  that  the  chiefs  who  had  held  the  land  with  the  kings 
and  the  tenants  should  surrender  one-third  of  their  rights,  or  pay  a 
certain  sum  of  money.  When  the  settlement  between  the  king  and  the 
chiefs  had  been  accomplished,  he  again  divided  the  lands  which  had 
been  surrendered  to  him  between  himself  and  the  government,  the  former 
being  known  as  Crown  lands  and  the  latter  as  Government  lands. 

The  first  maliele  (division  of  land)  was  made  January  27,  1848.  The 
great  land  reform,  fully  accomplished,  showed  great  improvement  in  the 
condition  of  the  common  people.  Education  began  to  receive  its  deserved 
attention  ; the  masses  felt  the  first  impetus  of  industry ; the  kingdom 
quickly  assumed  a more  important  position  in  the  judgment  of  other 
nations  ; foreign  immigration  outside  of  the  missionaries  flocked  hither, 
and  business  enterprises  at  once  became  assured  successes.  Kamehameha 
III.  lived  six  years  after  the  culmination  of  his  humane  plans,  so  that 
he  saw  the  great  benefits  resulting  from  his  sagacious  course  of  action. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


RISE  OF.  THE  REPUBLIC. 


HILE  few,  if  any,  doubted  the  sincerity  of  the  king  in  the  dis- 
tribution of  land,  the  larger  percentage  was  retained  by  him  and 
his  nobles.  Out  of 
the  four  million  acres 1 com- 
prising the  area  of  the  islands 
two  million  fell  to  him.  Of 
this  he  surrendered  one  million 
to  the  government,  thus  hold- 
ing one  million,  or  one-fourth 
of  the  whole,  as  his  own  portion. 

The  comparison  in  value,  how- 
ever, was  more  favourable  to 
the  common  people.  The  low- 
lands adjacent  to  the  sea,  which 
were  better  adapted  to  raising 
their  principal  crops,  taro  and 
rice,  and  which  rapidly  rose  in 
valuation,  were  allowed  them, 
while  the  king  and  his  chiefs 
held  large  tracts  on  the  moun- 
tainsides, suitable  only  for  hunting  and  pasturage,  in  some  cases  well- 
wooded,  but  often  barren  and  worthless.  Fee  simple  titles  were  given 
the  people  for  building  lots  and  lands  they  had  actually  cultivated  for 
themselves,  and  known  as  kuleanas  or  homesteads. 

In  this  distribution,  as  well  as  in  the  work  leading  to  it,  the  mis- 
sionaries had  much  to  do,  and  they  were  now  blamed  by  some  for  not 
getting  better  consideration  for  the  masses.  Others  stoutly  praised  them 


TARO  ROOTS. 


1 More  recent  surveys  make  the  actual  area  of  the  islands  as  four  million  and  eight  hundred, 
thousand  acres. 


99 


100 


THE  FAR  EAST. 


for  having  accomplished  so  much,  and  from  this  division  of  sentiment, 
no  doubt  often  prejudiced,  sprang  two  political  parties  destined  to  act 
important  parts  in  the  future  of  Hawaii,  two  parties,  both  seeking  the 
favours  of  the  kings,  as  long  as  the  kingdom  lasted,  but  with  diverse 
objects : one  intent  on  maintaining  and  strengthening  the  royal  power ; 

the  other  to  so  mould  it 
that  the  island  government 
should  eventually  become  an 
integral  part  of  their  home 
land,  the  United  States. 

In  1852  the  constitution 
was  formed  on  more  liberal 
lines,  and  the  representa- 
tives of  the  people  made  to 
be  elected  by  universal  suf- 
frage. The  following  year 
was  made  memorable  by  the 
ravages  of  smallpox,  which 
carried  off  several  thousands 
of  the  native  inhabitants  of 
Oahu. 

Kamehameha  III.  died 
suddenly  December  15, 1854, 
while  he  was  undertaking 
an  annexation  treaty  with 
the  United  States.  He  was 
succeeded  January  11,  1855, 
by  his  adopted  son  and  heir, 
queen  emma.  Alexander  Liholiho,  who 

was  proclaimed  king  under  the  title  of  Kamehameha  IV.  This  king 
married  the  chiefess  Emma  Rooke,  a granddaughter . of  John  Young,  the 
Englishman  who  figured  so  prominently  in  Kamehameha  the  First’s  con- 
quest, and  who  married  a Hawaiian  woman.  The  reign  of  Kamehameha 
IV.,  which  lasted  until  his  death,  November  30,  1863,  was  comparatively 
uneventful.  In  1857  the  fort  at  Honolulu  was  demolished  by  order  of  the 
government,  as  that  at  Lahaina  had  been  in  1854.  The  same  year  John 


HAWAII. 


101 


Young  (Koni  Ana)  died.  He  had  been  kuhina  nui  (premier)  since  1845. 
In  1859  the  civil  code  was  published,  and  in  1860  legal  steps  were  taken 
to  establish  houses  of  prostitution,  the  “ law  to  mitigate,”  etc.,  becoming 

a law. 

Kamehameha  IV.  died  November  30,  1863,  in  his.  thirtieth  year,  and 
his  elder  brother  Lot  became  ruler  as  Kamehameha  V.  Almost  the  first 
thing  this  monarch  did  was  to  call  a convention,  May  5,  1864,  to  amend 
the  constitution.  August  13th  the  old  constitution  was  abrogated  and 
the  20th  a new  one  granted  by  the  king.  One  of  his  most  important 
changes  was  to  allow  the  right  of  suffrage  only  to  those  who  could  read  and 
write  and  had  some  property.  During  his  reign  the  Board  of  Education 
was  formed,  the  Board  of  Immigration  instituted,  and  in  1865  an  act 
passed  the  Legislature  to  segregate  the  lepers.  The  king  died  suddenly 
December  11,  1872,  the  last  of  the  line  of  Kamehamehas.  His  reign  was 
saddened  and  his  own  end  hastened  by  the  death  of  his  only  son,  Prince 
of  Hawaii,  August  27,  1862,  at  the  age  of  four  years.  In  his  grief  over 
the  untimely  death  of  his  young  son,  and  seeing  the  end  of  the  Kame- 
hameha dynasty,  the  king  exclaimed  : 

“ What  is  to  become  of  my  poor  country  ? Queen  Emma  I do  not 
trust;  Lunalilo  is  a drunkard,  and  Kalakaua  is  a fool.” 

Under  his  rule  the  old-time  paganism  was  to  a considerable  extent  re- 
stored, and  its  wild  revels  revived.  Seeking  the  favour  of  the  native 
population,  but  not  to  the  neglect  of  the  foreign  element,  his  influence 
was  not  always  for  the  good  of  the  kingdom,  and  his  reign  marked  a 
period  of  much  evil  growth,  as  well  as  some  good. 

Kamehameha  V.  possessed  more  of  the  traits  of  the  old  chiefs  than  his 
predecessor.  He  had  made  a very  good  record  as  a government  officer 
before  coming  to  the  throne.  He  had  a strong  will,  and  used  it  as  he 
thought  best  for  his  people.  He  called  able  men  to  aid  him.  Unfortu- 
nately, he  also  leant  toward  the  old  customs. 

Dying  without  naming  a successor,  this  king  was  succeeded  by  his 
cousin,  William  Lunalilo,  chosen  by  the  Legislature,  January  8,  1873. 
Lunalilo’s  reign  was  short  and  stormy,  though  the  latter  fact  rose  from 
no  real  fault  of  his.  The  enforcement  of  the  leper  law,  passed  under  the 
previous  administration,  agitation  of  the  ceding  of  Pearl  Harbour  to 
the  United  States  in  consideration  of  a treaty  of  reciprocity,  with  other 


102 


THE  FAR  EAST. 


acts,  aroused  the  anti-missionary  party  to  make  the  claim  that  he  was 
against  the  native  inhabitants.  He  died  of  consumption  February  3, 1874, 
in  the  midst  of  the  bitter  political  antagonism,  leaving  the  bulk  of  his 
estate  to  establish  the  Lunalilo  Home  for  aged  and  indigent  Ilawaiians. 

Lunalilo’s  successor  was  elected  February  12,  1874,  by  the  Legislature, 
which  chose  one  who  had  been  his  rival  before,  David  Kalakaua.  The 
new  king  was  a lineal  descendant  of  Liloa,  among  the  foremost  of  Hawaii’s 
great  family  of  warriors  before  the  days  of  the  Kamehameha.  It  was 


< 


LUNALILO  HOME. 


largely  due,  in  fact,  to  this  king’s  assistance  that  the  Conqueror  was  suc- 
cessful in  his  conquest.  Kalakaua’s  queen  was  a granddaughter  of  the 
last  independent  sovereign  of  Kauai,  so  the  couple  represented  the  last 
of  two  great  lines  of  royalty.  But  if  he  was  of  noble  birth  he  was  of 
ignoble  character.  It  was  claimed  that  he  had  obtained  his  election  over 
the  Queen-dowager  Emma  by  dishonest  means,  and  his  election  was  fol- 
lowed by  a riot,  which  was  put  down  by  a body  of  marines  from  the 
United  States  ships  Tuscarora  and  Portsmouth  and  H.  B.  M.  ship  Teneclos. 

Kalakaua  before  his  election  had  appealed  to  race  prejudice,  and  now, 


HAWAII. 


103 


like  Kamehameha  V.,  seemed  to  consider  only  the  interests  of  the  native 
Hawaiians,  and  to  look  on  foreign  residents  as  alien  invaders.  Under  him 
no  foreigner  could  be  naturalised  without  his  consent  or  approval.  He 
constantly  sought  to  change  the  system  of  government  into  a personal 
despotism,  that  he  might  command  the  treasury.  He  filled  the  Legislature 
with  pliant  office-holders,  and  he  did  not  hesitate  to  resort  to  any  measure, 
however  questionable,  to  carry  his  end.  The  Louisiana  Lottery  found  in 
him  a friend,  and  had  it  not  been  for  the  efforts  of  men  of  great  influence,  to 
whom  he  was  owing  money,  lie 
would  have  pressed  the  bill 
through  the  Legislature  in  spite 
of  public  indignation. 

There  was  one  act,  however, 
to  which  he  was  forced  to  lend 
his  acquiescence.  In  June, 

1875,  the  much-talked-of  treaty 
of  commercial  reciprocity  be- 
tween the  islands  and  the 
United  States  was  ratified,  in 
spite  of  intense  opposition  in 
both  countries.  Going  into 
effect  in  September,  1876,  the 
result  was  a surprise  on  all 
sides,  and  from  that  time 
Hawaii  dates  the  dawn  of  its 
prosperity.  One  of  the  stipula- 
tions of  this  treaty  was  the 
ceding  of  Pearl  Harbour,  situ- 
ated on  a small  river  by  that  name  seven  miles  from  Honolulu,  to  the 
United  States  as  a naval  and  coaling  station.  This  place  offers  the  strong- 
est strategical  points  “ and  the  finest  site  for  a naval  and  coaling  station 
in  the  whole  Pacific,”  concerning  which  the  London  Times , in  its  alarm 
over  the  growing  prestige  of  the  United  States  in  Hawaii,  declared,  in 
an  appeal  to  Great  Britain : “ The  maritime  power  that  holds  Pearl 
River,  and  moors  its  fleets  there,  possesses  the  key  to  the  Northern 
Pacific.” 


104 


THE  FAR  EAST. 


Leaving  Honolulu  January  20,  1881,  and  returning  October  27th,  King 
Kalakaua  made  a tour  of  the  world,  visiting  Japan,  China,  Siam,  British 
India,  the  principal  countries  of  Europe,  and  the  United  States. 

A crisis  in  the  government  of  King  Kalakaua  came  when  he  accepted 
two  bribes,  aggregating  over  a hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars,  in 

connection  with  an  opium 
license.  This  act  was  fol- 
lowed by  the  revolution  of 
1887.  In  the  previous  seven 
years  the  debt  of  the  gov- 
ernment had  increased  from 
three  hundred  and  ninety 
thousand  to  almost  two  mil- 
lion dollars.  Deserted  now 
by  his  followers,  and  appeal- 
ing in  vain  to  other  nations 
for  assistance,  the  king 
yielded  to  the  unanimous 
demands  of  the  opponents 
of  his  system  of  royalty, 
and  July  7,  1887,  he  signed 
a constitution  which  was  a 
revision  and  improvement 
over  that  of  1864.  This 
was  framed  to  make  the  ex- 
ecutive responsible  to  the 
people  and  to  end  personal 
government.  Office-holders 
were  debarred  from  seats  in 
the  Legislature,  and  nobles,  instead  of  being  appointed  by  the  king,  were 
to  be  elected  by  the  people  for  a term  of  six  years.  The  voters  must  be 
owners  of  property  to  the  value  of  three  thousand  dollars,  or  have  an 
income  of  six  hundred  dollars.  Though  this  constitution  was  a rather 
peculiar  combination  of  republican  and  monarchical  ideas,  engrafted  on 
a kingly  power,  better  results  were  likely  to  come  from  it  than  had  been 
given  the  inhabitants.  Smarting  under  the  rebuke,  the  royal  party  re- 


ROYAL  PALACE. 


HAWAII. 


105 


sorted  to  an  insurrection,  but  it  was  soon  put  down,  though  not  without 
the  loss  of  seven  lives  of  the  rioters. 

The  debauchery  of  the  king  was  telling  on  him,  and  in  November,  1890, 
he  went  to  California  for  his  health.  The  best  medical  aid  failed  to  help 
him,  and  he  died  January  20,  1891,  his  remains  being  taken  to  Honolulu 
in  the  U.  S.  S.  Charleston,  arriving  there  the  29th  of  the  same  month.  A 
few  hours  after  the  arrival  of  the  body  of  the  dead  king  his  sister  took  the 


ROYAL  FUNERAL KALAKAUA  LYING  IN  STATE. 


oath  to  support  the  constitution,  and  was  officially  announced  as  queen, 
with  the  title  of  Liliuokalani. 

Notwithstanding  the  misgovernment  of  a dissipated  and  selfish-minded 
king,  the  reign  of  Kalakaua  were  the  golden  years  of  Hawaiian  progress 
and  prosperity,  though  paid  for  in  the  end  at  a high  price.  Naturally,  the 
profligate  management  brought  a collapse  in  business  matters,  the  govern- 
ment became  deeply  involved  in  debt,  and  the  control  of  public  affairs 
largely  in  the  hands  of  scheming  and  antagonistic  politicians.  The  people 
generally  understood  their  grave  situation,  but  both  parties  looked  hope- 


106 


TIIE  FAR  EAST. 


fully  forward  to  good  results  from  Queen  Liliuokalani.  She  had  been 
reared  and  educated  under  American  missionary  influence,  which  gave 
those  who  had  the  interest  of  the  struggling  masses  at  heart  reason  to 
believe  she  would  be  their  friend.  Her  husband  was  John  0.  Dominis, 
whose  paternal  ancestors  were  from  Italy,  but  whose  mother  was  an  Ameri- 
can woman — a native  of  Boston  — with  an  English  ancestry.  He  was 
governor  of  Maui  and  Hawaii,  and  his  influence  was  expected  to  be 

thrown  in  the  interest  of 
good  government. 

Unfortunately,  Governor 
Dominis,  who  was  made 
prince  consort,  who  had 
been  in  poor  health  at  the 
time  of  her  coronation,  died 
the  following  27th  of  Aug- 
ust, and  was  buried  with 
royal  honours.  Had  he 
lived,  a different  result 
might  have  been  the  out- 
come of  the  situation.  A 
more  far-seeing  policy  and 
firmness  of  purpose  was 
required  to  manage  affairs 
successfully  than  the  queen 
possessed.  In  her  despera- 
tion to  raise  money,  instead 
of  cutting  down  some  of 
the  enormous  expenses  in- 
curred, she  listened  to  the  advice  of  unsafe  and  unscrupulous  counsellors, 
and  resorted  to  such  means  as  were  offered  by  lottery  managers  and  opium 
smugglers. 

The  Kamehamehas  had,  as  a rule,  selected  their  advisers  from  the 
ablest  men  of  the  different  parties  and  races,  while  hers,  either  from 
mistaken  judgment  or  evil  influences,  were  men  who  seldom  worked 
harmoniously  together  either  for  the  interest  of  the  public  or  her.  The 
Legislature  now  held,  according  to  the  constitution  of  1887,  the  right  to 


HAWAII. 


107 


form  the  cabinets,  with  her  consent,  while  she  claimed  the  first  rights,  and 
the  long  session  of  1892  was  made  memorable  for  its  changes  in  min- 
istries, as  many  as  four  having  been  selected  and  discharged.  It  was 
during  this  troublesome  period  that  what  became  known  as  the  Wilcox- 
Jones  cabinet  was  formed,  which,  if  allowed  to  remain,  might  have  settled 
some  of  the  threatening  questions  peacefully.  But  this  was  forced  to  give 
way  in  the  midst  of  its  efforts 
to  another  body  of  advisers, 
when  the  Legislature  was  pro- 
rogued by  the  queen,  and  the 
odious  lottery  and  opium  bills 
signed  at  once.  From  the  first 
of  these  the  islands  were  to 
derive  great  benefit  by  way  of 
permanent  improvements,  and 
the  latter  was  a license  to  al- 
low in  the  market  that  article, 
which,  with  a population  of 
over  twenty  thousand  addicted 
to  its  use,  had  become  a com- 
modity dangerous  to  handle. 

It  was  already  being  smuggled 
into  the  islands  against  the 
law,  and  it  was  claimed  by  the 
supporters  of  the  measure  that 
it  was  better  to  attempt  to 
regulate  an  evil  than  to  make 
laws  that  would  be  broken. 

The  opposing  party  had  strong  grounds  for  complaint,  and  both  bills  pre- 
sented grave  phases. 

A change  in  the  constitution,  or  a new  one  entire,  eliminating  all 
republican  ideas  and  tending  to  strengthen  the  monarchy,  was  advocated 
by  the  royalists.  Drafts,  varying  somewhat  in  their  essentials,  were 
drawn  up  by  the  queen’s  advisers,  one  of  which  was  accepted  by  her. 
Dissatisfied  and  at  odds  with  the  Legislature,  she  prorogued  that  body  Jan- 
uary 14,  1893,  and  retired  to  the  palace  with  the  intention  of  proclaiming 


QUEEN  MI.IUOKALANI. 


108 


TIIE  FAR  EAST. 


the  new  constitution,  escorted  on  her  way  by  the  Hawaiian  society  Hid 
Kalaiaina.  A crowd  had  now  assembled  about  the  grounds,  the  queen’s 
guard  being  drawn  up  in  a line  from  the  west  gate  to  the  steps  of  the 
palace. 

The  queen  summoned  her  Cabinet  to  the  Blue  Room  for  their  signatures 
to  the  document.  But  they  did  not  come  until  she  was  worn  out  wait- 
ing. Then,  one  of  them  having  consulted  during  the  delay  the  leaders 

of  the  opposing  party,  they 
demurred.  She  entreated, 
claiming  that  they  had  led 
her  to  the  brink  of  the  preci- 
pice to  desert  her  at  the  critical 
moment.  In  their  desperation, 
all  but  one  fled,  and  he  per- 
suaded her  to  postpone  her 
action  for  two  weeks. 

The  queen’s  action  declared 
revolutionary  by  her  opponents, 
they  met  and  chose  a Com- 
mittee of  Safety,  with  the 
view  of  forming  “a  provi- 
sional government.”  Mr.  John 
L.  Stevens,  the  American  min- 
ister, was  asked  to  land  armed 
troops  from  the  war-vessel 
Boston  in  their  defence.  He 
refused  to  do  this,  but  he  did 
order  armed  men  from  the  war-ship  to  protect  American  interests  in 
the  threatened  trouble. 

This  action  was  accepted  by  the  royalists  to  mean  interposition  on 
the  part  of  the  United  States  government,  when  excitement  ran  higher 
than  ever. 

The  revolutionists  now  resolved  to  set  up  a new  government,  and  on 
Tuesday,  January  17,  1893,  the  leaders  issued  from  the  Government 
Building  a proclamation  which  declared  the  Hawaiian  monarchy  abro- 
gated, and  ended  by  saying : 


HAWAII. 


109 


“ 1.  The  Hawaiian  monarchical  system  of  govermnent  is  hereby  abro- 
gated. 

“2.  A provisional  government  for  the  control  and  management  of  pub- 
lic affairs  and  the  protection  of  the  public  peace  is  hereby  established,  to 
exist  until  terms  of  union  with  the  United  States  of  America  have  been 
negotiated  and  agreed  upon. 

“ 3.  Such  provisional  government  shall  consist  of  an  executive  council 
of  four  members,  who  are  declared  to  be  S.  B.  Dole,  J.  A.  King,  P.  C. 
Jones,  W.  0.  Smith,  who  shall  administer  the  executive  departments  of 
the  government,  the  first  named  acting  as  president  and  chairman  of 


U.  S.  S.  BOSTON  AT  HONOLULU. 


such  council  and  administering  the  department  of  foreign  affairs,  and 
the  others  severally  administering  the  departments  of  interior,  finance, 
and  attorney-general,  respectively,  in  the  order  in  which  they  are  above 
enumerated,  according  to  existing  Hawaiian  law  as  far  as  may  be 
consistent  with  this  proclamation  ; and  also  of  an  advisory  council 
which  shall  consist  of  fourteen  members,  who  are  hereby  declared  to 
be  S.  M.  Damon,  A.  Brown,  L.  A.  Thurston,  J.  F.  Morgan,  J.  Em- 
melutli,  H.  Waterhouse,  J.  A.  McChandless,  E.  D.  Tenney,  F.  W . 
McChesney,  F.  Wilhelm,  W.  R.  Castle,  W.  G.  Ashley,  W.  C.  Wilder, 
C.  Bolte.  Such  advisory  council  shall  also  have  general  legislative 
authority. 


no 


THE  FAR  EAST. 


“ Such  executive  and  advisory  councils  shall,  acting  jointly,  have  power 
to  remove  any  member  of  either  council  and  to  fill  any  such  vacancy. 

“ 4.  All  officers  under  the  existing  government  are  herebj'  requested  to 
continue  to  exercise  their  functions  and  perform  the  duties  of  the  offices, 
with  the  exception  of  the  following  named  persons : Queen  Liliuokalani ; 
Charles  B.  Wilson,  Marshal ; Samuel  Parker,  Minister  of  Foreign 
Affairs  ; W.  H.  Cornwell,  Minister  of  Finance  ; John  F.  Colburn,  Minis- 
ter of  the  Interior;  Arthur  P.  Peterson,  Attorney-General , who  are 
hereby  removed  from  office.  . 


EXECUTIVE  BUILDING,  HONOLULU. 


“ 5.  All  Hawaiian  laws  and  constitutional  principles  not  inconsistent 
herewith  shall  continue  to  be  in  force  until  further  order  of  the  executive 
and  advisory  councils. 

“ (Signed)  Henry  E.  Cooper,  Chairman .” 
And  twelve  others  as  the  Committee  of  Safety,  and  dated  Honolulu, 
January  17,  1893. 

The  overthrown  queen,  deserted  by  her  ministry,  and  her  guard 
quartered  at  the  police  station,  had  to  remain  inactive.  At  6 p.  m the 
following  protest  was  signed  by  her : 


HAWAII. 


Ill 


“ I,  Liliuokalani,  by  the  grace  of  God  and  under  the  constitution  of  the 
Hawaiian  kingdom  queen,  do  hereby  solemnly  protest  against  any  and 
all  acts  done  against  myself  and  the  constitutional  government  of  the 
Hawaiian  kingdom  by  certain  persons  claiming  to  have  established  Pro- 
visional Government  of  and  for  this  kingdom. 

“ That  I yield  to  the  superior,  force  of  the  United  States  of  America, 
whose  minister  plenipotentiary,  his  Excellency  John  L.  Stevens,  has 


queen's  guard  and  barracks. 


caused  United  States  troops  to  be  landed  at  Honolulu,  and  declared  that 
he  would  support  the  said  Provisional  Government. 

“ Now,  to  avoid  any  collision  of  armed  forces,  and  perhaps  the  loss  of 
life,  I do,  under  this  protest  and  impelled  by  said  forces,  yield  my 
authority  until  such  time  as  the  Government  of  the  United  States  shall, 
upon  the  facts  being  presented  to  it,  undo  (?)  the  action  of  its  repre- 
sentative, and  reinstate  me  in  the  authority  as  the  constitutional  sov- 
ereign of  the  Hawaiian  Islands. 


112 


THE  FAR  EAST. 


“ Done  at  Honolulu  this  seventeenth  day  of  January,  A.  D.  1893. 

“ (Signed)  Liliuokalani  R. 

“ Samuel  Parker,  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs. 
“ Wm.  H.  Cornwell,  Minister  of  Finance. 

“John  F.  Colburn,  Minister  of  Interior. 

“ A.  P.  Peterson,  Attorney-General. 

“ (Addressed)  S.  B.  Dole , Esq.,  and  others  composing  the  Provisional 
Government  of  the  Hawaiian  Islands.” 


STATION  HOUSE. 


The  queen  sent  a letter  to  the  marshal  of  the  kingdom  ordering  him 
to  deliver  over  everything  to  the  Provisional  Government,  and  the  next 
day  she  retired  to  Washington  Place.  The  revolution  had  been  accom- 
plished without  resorting  to  arms,  and  the  new  government  was  duly 
installed.  A convention  was  chosen  that  sat  in  Honolulu  during  the 
month  of  June,  1894,  when  a new  constitution  was  framed,  and  on  July 
4th,  a memorable  date  to  every  American  purposely  selected  for  this 
occasion,  the  Republic  of  Hawaii  was  formally  announced  to  the  political 
powers  of  the  day,  with  Sanford  B.  Dole  as  president. 


HAWAIIAN  GIRLS’  STYLE  OF  DRESSING. 


HAWAII. 


113 


In  summing  up  the  causes  and  results  of  this  revolution  it  is  easy  to 
find  reason  for  blame  on  all  sides,  but  the  weight  of  the  evidence  seems 
to  be  against  the  upholders  of  the  monarchy.  That  the  policy  of  the 
queen  was  short-sighted  and  reactionary  was  evident;  that  she  was 
stubborn  in  her  determination  to  restore  certain  monarchical  rights  is 
beyond  question ; the  constitution  she  would  have  promulgated  in  its 
full  intentions,  as  offered,  would  have  disfranchised  every  white  man  on 
the  islands  unless  the  husband  of  a Hawaiian  woman,  and  would  have 


ROYAL  COLLECTION  OF  CURIOS. 


made  the  property  of  the  whites  alone  subject  to  taxation.  In  her 
extenuation  it  may  be  said  that  she  had  been  driven  to  desperate 
measures  by  aliens  who  cared  little  for  the  interests  of  the  native  popula- 
tion, and  who  had  no  love  for  the  monarchy  however  well  managed. 
One  of  the  most  earnest  of  the  revolutionists,  four  years  before  was 
defending  the  Hawaiian  monarchy  in  the  legislature  in  glowing  rhetoric 
and  denouncing  those  who  were  advocating  annexation  as  traitors.  The 
republic  established,  and  not  getting  what  he  had  expected,  he  was  anxious 
to  return  to  the  old  form  of  government  with  Kaiulani  as  queen  and 
himself  as  premier.  But  such  examples  need  not  be  multiplied.  The 


114 


TIIE  FAR  EAST. 


Americans  were  naturally  in  favour  of  annexation  from  the  beginning, 
and  the  missionaries  were  the  moulders  of  Hawaiian  destiny.  That  the 
greatest  step  had  been  made  without  bloodshed  is  glory  enough,  not  only 
for  them  but  for  the  overruled  majority  which  accepted  the  inevitable  so 
graciously. 


queen’s  budkoom. 


CHAPTER  X. 


INDUSTRIAL  PROGRESS. 

A HALO  of  romance  tinges  the  atmosphere  of  Hawaiian  history 
whither  one  turns.  He  finds  it  in  the  story  of  their  discovery,  in 
the  traditions  of  their 
early  races,  in  their  wars 
and  conquests,  in  their  re- 
ligious affairs,  in  their  revo- 
lutions and  growth  of  gov- 
ernment, and,  last  but  not 
least,  in  their  educational 
and  industrial  progress. 

If  the  American  mission- 
aries were  teaching  the 
masses  the  way  to  a higher 
civilisation,  dotting  the  sea- 
shores, hillsides,  and  valleys 
with  churches,  schoolhouses, 
and  comfortable  dwellings, 

American  business  men  were 
soon  establishing  enterprises 
of  agriculture  and  manufac- 
ture hitherto  undreamed  of 
by  the  indolent,  improvident 
Hawaiian. 

As  early  as  1786,  only 
eight  years  after  their  dis- 
covery by  Captain  Cook,  Joseph  Burrell,  a merchant  of  Boston,  Mass., 
conceived  the  idea  of  the  value  of  trade  with  the  islands,  and  a stock 
company  was  formed  with  a capital  of  fifty  thousand  dollars.  The  plan 
was  to  obtain  by  barter  with  the  natives  of  the  northwestern  coast  of 

115 


PRINCE  LELEIOKOKU. 


1 16 


TIIE  FAR  EAST. 


North  America  the  furs  and  other  products  of  that  country,  and  from 
the  Hawaiian  Islands  sandalwood,  cocoanut  oil,  and  any  other  product 
the  newly  discovered  islands  afforded.  The  project  was  reasonably  suc- 
cessful, and  the  returning  ships  have  the  credit  of  bringing  to  Boston 
the  first  Hawaiian  chief  to  visit  this  country.  The  traffic  in  sandalwood 
soon  became  of  considerable  importance,  and  was  a source  of  great  profit 
to  those  engaged  in  it.  This  wood,  as  has  been  mentioned,  was  largely 


PRIVATE  RESIDENCE,  HAWAII. 


taken  to  China  for  a market,  where  it  was  exchanged  for  teas,  silks, 
and  other  articles  from  that  land. 

A Boston  vessel,  in  1803,  landing  at  Hilo  on  January  23d,  carried  to 
the  islands  the  first  horse  the  natives  had  ever  seen,  and  the  animal, 
one  of  the  highest  prizes  to  their  descendants,  was  an  object  of  wonder  to 
them.  Others  were  desired,  and  several  were  sent  from  California,  then 
a Spanish  province,  until  the  islands  were  stocked  with  this  useful  quadru- 
ped. Still  it  was  many  years  before  they  became  thoroughly  domesticated 
and  the  Hawaiian  came  to  consider  himself  at  his  best  astride  of  one  of 
them. 


HAWAII. 


117 


As  soon  as  the  supply  of  sandalwood  was  exhausted,  a trade  in  pearls 
and  pearl-shells  followed,  Hawaii  proving  by  this  time  a ready  market  for 
cloths  of  several  kinds,  and  hardware  such  as  nails  and  small  articles 

of  iron. 

Whale  fisheries  in  the  Pacific  next  attracted  the  attention  of  the  thrifty 
Yankees,  and  in  1820  the  ship  Mary,  commanded  by  Captain  Allen, 
entered  the  harbour  of  Honolulu.  This  industry  immediately  receiving 


N ATI VK  STYI.K  OF  RIDING. 

an  impetus,  other  vessels  soon  followed,  until  as  many  as  a hundred  vessels 
would  put  into  the  harbours  at  this  port  and  Lahaina,  Maui,  in  a single 
season,  and  the  furnishing  of  the  supplies  for  them  became  the  chief  source 
of  profit  to  the  islanders.  Quite  a number  of  English  whalers,  and  a few 
French,  found  their  way  to  these  ports.  But  all  that  these  vessels  brought 
was  not  desirable,  for  they  were  the  means  of  introducing  such  pests  as 
mosquitoes  and  'scorpions,  all  of  which  thrive  in  this  ocean  paradise  with 
wonderful  vitality. 

In  1823  a Boston  ship  named  Paragon  bore  to  the  islands  as  second 
officer  one  whose  name  was  to  become  connected  with  the  ruling  family 


118 


THE  FAR  EAST. 


in  after  years.  He  was  John  Dominis,  whose  son,  John  0.  Dominis,  was 
the  husband  and  prince  consort  of  Queen  Liliuokalani,  the  last  of  the  royal 
rulers.  Among  the  crew  of  this  ship  was  Charles  Brewer,  who  afterward 
became  a prominent  Hawaiian  merchant,  whose  house  is  still  well  known 
both  in  that  land  and  the  United  States. 

The  whale  fisheries  declining  in  1860-1870,  the  energetic  mind  of  the 
New  Englander  again  turned  into  another  channel,  and  the  sugar  indus- 
try was  the  result.  This  plant  was  found  growing  wild  in  every  valley 


GATH E R I X G SUG A R-C ANE. 


visited  hy  Cook  and  Vancouver,  and  excited  the  wonder  and  admiration  of 
every  visitor  on  account  of  its  astonishing  growth  and  remarkable  sweet- 
ness. The  Hawaiians  had  made  it  a common  article  of  food  and  culti- 
vated it  in  their  simple  manner.  The  Chinese  saw  something  of  its 
possibilities  and  attempted  to  make  both  sugar  and  molasses  from  it. 
Their  primitive  methods  were  succeeded  in  1835  by  the  first  successful 
efforts,  when  the  American  firm  of  Ladd  & Co.  obtained  possession  of  a 
tract  of  land  in  the  Koloa  district  on  the  island  of  Kauai,  and  in  1837 
erected  the  first  iron  sugar  mill  seen  on  the  group.  This  was  a crude 


HAWAII. 


119 


affair  compared  to  the  modern  machinery,  and  was  propelled  first  tty 
mules  and  oxen,  then  by  water,  and  finally  by  steam  power.  The  cane  of 
the  Hawaiian  Islands  was  soon  found  to  yield  more  per  acre  than  in  any 
other  land  in  the  world.  Thus  it  became  a source  of  great  profit  to  the 
wealthy  producer,  and  gigantic  enterprises  have  sprung  up,  among  which 
is  the  American  Sugar  Company’s  plantation  on  the  fertile  plains  of  Central 
Maui,  said  to  be  the  largest  in 
existence.  The  business  requires 
expensive  machinery,  and  too 
extensive  capital  for  the  small 
investor  to  live  by  it. 

The  coffee  industry  gained  its 
supporters,  and  in  1845  two 
hundred  and  forty-eight  pounds 
of  this  berry  was  exported. 

For  years  it  was  believed  that 
this  shrub  would  only  grow  in 
a small  territory  in  the  Kona 
district,  Hawaii.  But  in  the 
famous  Olaa  district,  on  the 
same  island,  large  coffee  planta- 
tions are  being  successfully 
managed,  and  the  industry  is 
fast  reaching  large  proportions. 

Rice  has  been  raised  consid- 
erably by  Chinamen  on  the 
marshy  lands  near  the  seacoast, 
but  the  other  races  have  not 
been  successful  with  it. 

Banana  raising  has  become  a 
paying  industry ; over  a hundred  thousand  bunches,  worth  one  hundred 
thousand  dollars,  are  being  shipped  annually,  and  this  amount  might  be 
largely  increased.  Though  sugar,  rice,  coffee,  and  tropical  fruits  are  the 
chief  articles  of  export,  it  is  possible  to  grow  the  products  of  the  tem- 
perate zone  on  the  uplands. 

The  rapid  settlement  of  California  between  1850  and  1860  furnished  a 


BANANA  BLOSSOM  AND  FRUIT. 


120 


TIIE  FAR  EAST. 


new  market  for  the  productions  of  the  islands,  and  potatoes  became  a prof- 
itable crop,  while  wheat  was  successfully  cultivated  in  the  Makawao  dis- 
trict, and  a steam  flouring  mill  was  erected  in  Honolulu  in  1854.  But 
neither  of  these  crops  became  permanent  industries.  During  the  reign  of 
Kainehameha  IV.,  from  1855  to  18G3,  little  progress  was  made  in  the 
industrial  pursuits.  The  cultivation  of  wheat  was  finally  given  up,  and 


G.  A.  It.  SECTION  IN  CEMETERY,  HONOLULU. 

that  of  coffee  for  a time  abandoned,  though  in  1860  the  culture  of  rice  was 
begun  with  considerable  success. 

The  period  of  the  war  of  the  great  Rebellion  was  one  of  the  most  critical 
to  American  interests.  The  tide  of  sentiment  turned  toward  Great  Britain, 
which  through  its  astute  diplomacy  won  the  confidence  of  the  king  and 
queen,  the  first  being  then  Kamehamelia  V.  Already  the  English  govern- 
ment had  realised  the  coming  importance  of  Hawaii  as  an  ocean  stronghold, 
and  the  possibilities  of  its  agricultural  industries.  It  was  seen  that  rice, 
cotton,  coffee,  and  sugar-cane  could  be  raised  to  advantage.  The  beauties 
of  the  climate  were  also  beginning  to  attract  people  hither,  so  that  its  pop- 


WtSVaA/MLi/A  VAUey~SMW//Vlf.  *?/C/r  *'/£'££>  }\ 


HAWAII. 


121 


ulation  was  increasing  faster  than  ever.  Minister  McBride  explains  the 
situation  in  the  following  words : “ I beg  leave  further  to  say  that  Ameri- 
can interests  greatly  predominate  here  over  all  others  combined,  and  not 
less  than  four-fifths  of  the  commerce  connected  with  these  islands  is 
American.  The  merchants,  traders,  dealers  of  all  kinds,  and  planters  are 
principally  Americans.  The  English  have  no  commerce  here  worthy  of 


SUGAR  MILL. 


the  name,  and  but  one  or  two  retail  stores ; the  Germans,  about  the 
same  amount  of  business  as  the  English.  Many  American  merchants  here 
are  doing  quite  a large  business,  and  would  extend  their  business  still  more 
but  for  the  danger  of  British  rule  over  the  group,  which  if  it  should  become 
the  dominant  or  governing  power,  American  interests  would  be  crushed 
out  with  eagerness  and  despatch.”  This  report  was  made  in  I860,  and  it 
will  be  seen  that  American  interest  lost  very  little  if  any  vitality. 

The  treaty  of  commercial  reciprocity  with  the  United  States  in  1875,  by 
which  sugar  in  all  its  states  and  several  other  articles  were  admitted  there 
free,  gave  an  unprecedented  growth  to  industry  in  all  branches,  and  an 


122 


tup:  far  east. 


intoxicating  increase  in  wealth  followed.  Men  seemed  to  go  wild  over  the 
prospects,  and  in  the  lack  of  cheap  labour  to  help  develop  enterprises  as 
fast  as  they  wanted  to,  the  importation  of  low-priced  labour  succeeded  with 
startling  rapidity,  as  will  be  shown  in  the  chapters  devoted  to  the  Japanese 
and  Chinese  in  the  islands.  Tiie  valuation  of  property  advanced,  but  the 
price  of  labour  suffered  from  the  great  influx  from  abroad.  Less  than  one- 
tenth  of  the  help  were  natives.  The  proportion  of  the  immigrants  pro- 
cured for  contract  labour  was  twenty-five  women  to  one  hundred  men 
as  a rule,  and  from  the  lowest  and  most  ignorant  classes  of  foreigners. 


RICE  FIELDS,  HANALEI. 

But  this  headlong  rush  has  been  checked,  and  Hawaii  is  rapidly  recover- 
ing from  the  shock,  with  the  brightest  prospects  for  the  future.  The 
islands  which  are  foremost  in  industrial  interests  are  Hawaii,  with  its  great 
varieties  of  soil  and  climate,  affording  numerous  sugar  plantations  and 
coffee  lands ; Maui,  following  in  the  same  line  ; Oahu,  with  its  rich  sugar 
and  rice  lands,  and  the  finest  harbour  in  the  Pacific ; Kauai,  for  its  well 
watered  slopes  and  luxuriant  vegetation  the  “ Garden  Island,”  largely 
devoted  to  sugar  cultivation  and  rice  growing. 

Still  the  industries  of  Hawaii  are  only  in  their  infancy.  Less  than  one- 
fourth  of  the  land  which  can  be  cultivated  is  now  under  improvement,  and 


HAWAII. 


123 


scarcely  one-tenth  of  the  grazing  land  is  used.  It  is  estimated  that  under 
ordinary  management  the  islands  can  be  made  to  afford  homes  for  a popu- 
lation of  half  a million  of  agriculturists.  As  fine  wool  can  be  grown  here 
as  in  Australia.  The  exports  for  1898,  made  principally  to  the  United 
States,  reached  over  ten  million  dollars.  These  can  be  increased  ten  times. 
Its  present  income  is  almost  one  million  and  eight  hundred  dollars.  Should 
manufacturing  enterprises  be  started  here,  which  is  quite  likely  at  an  early 


KINDERGARTEN,  FORMER  HOME  OF  QUEEN  EMMA. 


date,  the  future  will  show  it  to  be  one  of  the  richest  spots  on  earth.  All 
this  without  saying  a word  as  to  its  possibilities  as  a health  and  pleasure 
resort,  for  which  it  is  so  admirably  adapted. 

A glance  at  its  educational  institutions  show  that  these  have  kept 
abreast  of  the  agricultural  interests.  Schools  were  begun  and  houses 
built  soon  after  the  arrival  of  the  missionaries,  and  as  early  as  1831  a high 
school  was  established  at  Lahaina.  In  1836  Mr.  Lyman  opened  a high 
school  at  Hilo,  and  the  same  year  the  female  seminary  at  Wailuku,  Maui, 
was  commenced.  In  August,  1838,  the  chiefs  commenced  the  study  of 


124 


THE  FAR  EAST. 


political  economy  under  the  instruction  of  Mr.  William  Richards,  and  May 
10th,  the  following  year,  the  first  edition  of  the  Hawaiian  Bible  was  fin- 
ished. A year  later  a school  for  young  chiefs,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cooke, 
teachers,  was  opened  at  Honolulu,  and  May  21,  1841,  the  school  for  mis- 
sionaries’ children  was  begun  at  Punahou,  now  Oahu  College.  New 
schools  have  been  established  from  time  to  time,  until  there  is  no  district, 
however  remote,  which  does  not  have  its  school. 

The  system  is  that  of  free  public  schools  similar  to  the  plan  of  the 


STEAMERS  PLYING  BETWEEN  THE  ISLANDS. 


United  States,  from  where  many  of  the  teachers  come.  The  text-hooks 
are  uniform,  and  can  be  bought  as  cheap  as  in  the  latter  country.  Those 
native  born,  or  born  on  the  island  of  foreign  parents,  are  compelled  to 
attend  school  by  law.  The  only  people  who  cannot  read  and  write  are 
among  those  who  have  come  from  abroad.  The  schools  are  non-sectarian, 
and  besides  the  common  school  system  there  are  opportunities  for  getting 
a higher  education,  such  as  the  grammar  grade  of  the  United  States  affords, 
while  at  Honolulu  a high  school  and  collegiate  course  can  be  obtained. 
Instruction  in  the  common  schools  is  conducted  in  the  English  language. 


HAWAII. 


125 


There  are  papers  published  in  the  Hawaiian,  Portuguese,  Japanese,  and 
Chinese  languages,  besides  several  in  the  English  language.  Honolulu  has 
three  evening  dailies,  one  morning  daily,  and  two  weeklies,  besides 
monthly  magazines.  Some  of  the  latter  are  finely  illustrated. 

The  islands  have  regular  communication  with  San  Francisco,  once  a 
month  with  British  Columbia,  and  twice  a month  with  Australia  and  New 
Zealand.  Steamers  also  ply  between  Honolulu  and  Japan  and  China. 
Intercourse  between  the  islands  is  by  steamers,  which  are  constantly  ply- 
ing between  the  different  ports,  giving  frequent  communications  to  and 
from  the  capital.  There  are  three  public  railroads,  and  more  contem- 
plated, besides  several  plantations,  each  operating  ten  to  thirty  miles  of 
track.  Since  annexation,  the  steam  traffic  has  greatly  increased. 


HONOLULU  RAILWAY  STATION. 


All  of  the  principal  islands  have  a regular  postal  system,  so  that  on 
the  arrival  of  a steamer  at  any  main  point,  mail  carriers  are  ready  to 
distribute  the  mail  through  all  parts  of  the  district.  On  Oahu,  Hawaii, 
and  Kauai  telephone  connections  are  found  at  every  important  place,  and 
Maui  is  beginning  to  have  its  line.  The  islands  are  in  a direct  course  from 
San  Francisco  to  the  Philippines,  being  about  one-third  of  the  distance, 
and,  though  over  two  thousand  miles  from  the  nearest  point  of  mainland, 
in  these  days  of  rapid  ocean  transit  are  not  so  lonely  in  their  situation  as 
might  at  first  seem.  Under  the  changed  condition  of  affairs  the  native  has 
become  a trusted  and  valued  citizen.  History  in  no  other  land  shows  such  a 
rapid  advance  from  paganism  to  respectable  civilisation,  from  indolence  to  a 
good  degree  of  progress,  as  the  descendants  of  the  followers  of  Kamehameha. 


CHAPTER  XI. 


THE  JAPANESE  AND  CONTRACT  LABOUR  IN  HAWAII. 

THE  Japanese  and  Chinese  now  comprise  over  forty  per  cent,  of 
the  population  of  the  Hawaiian  Islands,  and  are  already  more  than 
half  of  the  male  inhabitants.  This  situation  becomes  more  strik- 
ing when  it  is  realised  that  the  former  have  more  than  doubled  in  num- 
ber during  the  last  seven  years.  This  influx  has  been  due  largely  to  the 
influence  of  the  sugar  planters,  who  have  looked  to  the  home  land  of  these 
races  for  cheap  labour  with  which  to  carry  on  their  industry. 

Naturally  these  Asiatic  elements  are  beginning  to  be  felt.  Of  all  the 
foreign  immigrants  to  Hawaii  the  Japanese  have  excited  the  most  talk,  if 
not  real  concern,  as  to  the  dangerous  outcome  of  the  rapid  increase  of  this 
race  on  the  islands.  Since  the  annexation  of  the  islands  to  the  United 
States  the  situation  has  been  modified  somewhat,  but  the  grave  fact  re- 
mains that  the  Oriental  element  is  still  a power  in  the  island  territory.  In 
1894  Admiral  Walker,  who  was  in  command  of  the  American  navy  in 
these  waters,  said : “ They  (the  Japanese)  are  inclined  to  be  turbulent ; 
they  stand  together  as  a solid  body,  and  their  leaders  are  said  to  have 
political  ambitions,  and  propose  to  claim  for  their  free  men  the  right  to 
vote  under  the  conditions  with  which  that  right  is  granted  to  other  for- 
eigners. They  are  a brave  people,  with  military  instincts,  and  would  fight 
if  aroused  to  violence.” 

Japan  is  the  England  of  the  East.  Admiral  Ammen,  in  1896,  wrote  a 
letter  to  the  Congressional  committee : “ It  does  not  require  a prophet  to 
foresee  that  those  islands  in  the  near  future  will  be  either  American  or 
Japanese.”  This  Oriental  power,  still  in  its  infancy,  had  then  a larger 
naval  force  in  that  vicinity  than  the  United  States.  But  there  were  other 
reasons  than  a desire  to  possess  the  islands  which  prompted  Japan  to  its 
watchfulness  and  jealousy  over  the  country.  That  was  the  Ilawaiian- 
Japan  treaty  relative  to  Japanese  immigration. 

Early  in  the  sugar  industry  Japanese  labour  was  sought  to  help  in 


HAWAII. 


127 


raising  of  cane  and  manufacture  of  sugar.  A treaty  was  made  with  Japan 
which  should  give  that  country  a certain  sum  for  every  man  or  woman 
permitted  to  come  to  Hawaii,  and  a strict  account  was  kept  of  eacli 
labourer  furnished.  Upon  their  arrival  in  Honolulu  those  desiring  help 
were  permitted  to  select  their  labourers  and  take  them  to  their  plantations. 
Each  man  was  allowed  from  twelve  to  fifteen  dollars  a month,  and  each 
woman  thirteen,  a house  to  live  in,  fuel,  free  water  and  medical  attendance. 
This  system  gave  rise  to  spirited  opposition,  and  has  been  compared  to 
slavery  as  it  existed  in  the  Southern  States  of  America  before  the  great 


JAPANESE  VILLAGE  NEAR  HILO. 


Rebellion,  though  there  was  scarcely  a point  of  resemblance  between  the 
two  systems.  But  there  was  this  to  be  said  in  its  favour  : The  labourer  was 
allowed  to  return  to  his  country  at  the  end  of  three  years,  and  while  here 
he  was  not  to  be  separated  from  his  family.  Neither  was  the  planter 
upheld  in  resorting  to  violence,  and  was  liable  to  a fine  for  assault. 
Living  largely  upon  rice  raised  by  himself,  and  under  the  favourable 
condition  of  the  climate,  the  labourer  could  lay  by  a modest  sum  each  year 
if  he  chose.  The  Japanese  consulate  at  Honolulu  received  his  savings  at 
the  rate  of  four  per  cent,  interest.  Frugal  and  temperate  in  their  habits, 
the  Japanese  could  save  a part  of  his  salary  to  take  home,  or  to  help  him 
to  found  a home  in  this  country  if  he  decided  to  remain,  and  thus  many  of 


128 


THE  FAR  EAST. 


them  were  only  too  glad  to  improve  the  opportunity.  But  there  was  a 
clause  in  this  treaty  which  soon  fomented  trouble,  began  to  mobilise 
Hawaii  with  a troublesome  people,  and  led  to  a collision  with  Japan. 

The  treaty  provided  that  Hawaii  could  not  prevent  Japanese  from 
coming  to  the  islands  as  free  immigrants  in  any  numbers  that  they  chose, 
and  Oriental  immigration  increased  with  startling  rapidity.  In  1896  they 
came  at  the  rate  of  a thousand  a month,  and  the  adult  males  of  that 
nationality  outnumbered  any  other  race  of  immigrants.  The  result  could 
be  readily  anticipated  unless  some  restriction  was  made  by  the  government. 


JAPANESE,  HAWAII. 

This  was  done,  when  the  Japanese  government  remonstrated,  and  the 
planters  complained  that  they  could  find  no  labourer  to  take  the  place  of 
the  wiry,  active,  progressive  Japanese.  The  Portuguese,  considered  the 
superior  of  any  foreign  labourer,  would  not  come  in  sufficient  numbers, 
other  Europeans,  and  Americans  failed  to  do  so,  and  the  Hawaiian  already 
there  refused  to  do  it.  While  but  a few  Japanese  on  the  islands  could 
read  or  write  English  or  Hawaiian,  a qualification  necessary  to  obtain  the 
right  of  suffrage,  the  Americans  became  alarmed  lest  Hawaii  become  a 
Japanese  colony  and  under  their  control. 

The  first  measure  to  check  this  increase  of  them  was  made  in  1895  by 
the  immigration  committee,  which  issued  an  order  obliging  planters  to 


WAIANAE  COFFEE  PLANTATION,  OAHU. 


HAWAII. 


129 


import  two-thirds  of  their  contract  labour  from  China  or  some  other 
country  except  Japan.  This  aroused  Japan,  and  a sharp  controversy 
followed  when  the  Hawaii  authorities  refused,  on  technical  grounds,  to 
allow  two  cargoes  of  immigrants  to  land.  Free  labourers  were  entitled 
to  enter  Hawaii  without -any  preliminary  action  of  the  authorities,  but  it 
was  stipulated  that  they  should  possess  fifty  dollars.  A thousand  of  the 
newcomers  had  written  agreements  from  the  Japanese  Immigration  Com- 
pany that  in  consideration  of  twelve  yen  they  were  to  be  returned  to 
Japan,  providing  labour 
could  not  be  secured  for 
them.  This  made  them, 
the  Hawaiian  committee 
claimed,  not  free  labourers, 
but  contract  labourers  not 
agreeing  with  the  intention 
of  the  treaty.  Then,  when 
the  immigrants  showed  each 
fifty  dollars,  which  was  in- 
tended to  make  them  ap- 
pear as  free  immigrants,  it 
was  held  that  these  sums 
had  been  loaned  them  by 
the  society  for  the  object  of 
evading  the  law.  The  Ha- 
waiian authorities  were  firm 
and  Japan  took  home  her 
immigrants,  and  instead  of 
sending  more  at  the  time,  despatched  a war-ship  to  the  islands.  Learning 
of  this  intended  movement,  the  United  States  sent  the  cruiser  Philadel- 
phia to  Honolulu,  which  was  in  the  harbour  when  the  Japanese  vessel, 
Nanhoa , arrived  on  May  5,  1897. 

Japan  acknowledged  the  predominant  interest  of  the  United  States  in 
Hawaii,  but  claimed  that  its  own  interests  there  demanded  careful  and 
watchful  attention.  Then  Hawaii  offered  to  arbitrate  the  immigration 
question,  and  Japan  agreeing  in  July,  the  following  September  immigration 
of  free  labourers  from  that  country  was  resumed.  This  time  the  Japanese 


CANE  FIELD,  WAIANAE. 


130 


THE  FAR  EAST. 


government  was  careful  that  the  regulations  of  the  treaty  were  fully 
complied  with  and  Hawaii  was  obliged  to  continue  to  accept  the  influx 
of  this  people.  It  may  be  well  to  say  here  that  the  matter  of  the  previous 
trouble  was  satisfactorily  settled  before  the  annexation  of  the  island 
republic  to  the  United  States. 

There  are  many  educated  and  intelligent  Japanese  on  the  islands,  who 
are  prominent  in  business  and  have  thrifty  homes,  but  the  class  most 
largely  drawn  hither  is  ignorant,  impetuous,  and  hard  to  control.  If 
industrious,  they  are  ambitious,  and,  seeing  better  than  the  Chinese  the  real 


inwardness  of  their  situation,  are  dissatisfied  with  it,  waiting,  watching  for 
the  opportunity  to  strike  a blow  at  the  power  which  attempts  to  hold  them 
in  check.  There  is  too  much  of  the  Yankee  about  them  to  be  held  long  in 
surveillance,  and,  with  their  high  percentage  of  population,  what  the 
outcome  is  to  be  is  hard  to  forecast,  though  probably  no  cause  for  serious 
alarm . 

While  there  is  a great  difference  between  the  condition  of  these  “slaves 
of  Hawaii  ” and  those  of  the  old  regime  of  the  South,  plantation  life  in 
the  islands  is  much  the  same  as  that  was  in  the  slave  States  of  America 
before  1861.  The  common  visitor  sees  only  the  surface.  The  vast  estate 
is  conducted  in  a patriarchal  manner ; the  big  house  occupied  by  the  liigh- 


JAPANESE  HOUSES. 


HAWAII. 


131 


salaried  manager,  set  with  wide  verandas  and  embowered  in  flowers,  stands 
where  it  can  command  the  best  view  of  the  situation.  In  the  distance  are 
collections  of  the  flat,  plain  houses  of  the  labourers.  The  Japanese  are 
usually  nearest ; they  have  picked  up  Occidental  ways  so  rapidly  they  like 
to  be  near  their  masters  ; and  these  like  to  have  them  as  closely  under  their 
eyes  as  possible,  knowing  the  volcano  of  discontent  rages  under  the  calm 
surface  and  is  liable  to  break  forth  at  any  moment  without  warning.  The 
coolies,  less  mindful  of  their 
future,  are  not  as  dangerous. 

Their  houses  are  perhaps  a 
mile  or  even  two  miles  far- 
ther up  the  mountainside. 

There  is  nothing  striking 
about  these  villages,  except 
the  painful  uniformity  of 
the  dwellings,  possessing  no 
ornaments  and  few  com- 
forts, other  than  the  little 
plot  of  cultivated  ground 
around  them. 

Next  to  the  broad  acres 
of  rank  cane  rustling  in  the 
breeze  are  the  mills  where 
the  giant  plants  are  sent 
down  the  water-flume  in  a 
furious  passage,  until  torn, 
and  crushed  into  a shapeless 
mass  which  is  dropped  at  the  foot  of  the  sluice.  But  it  is  not  left  here 
to  rest  long,  before  it  is  taken  through  the  different  stages  of  crushing 
and  pressing,  purifying,  until  the  black,  sticky,  ill-smelling  syrup  comes 
out  in  a beautiful  golden  tint,  pure  and  delicious,  the  perfection  of  sugar. 
Everywhere  the  machinery  is  tended  by  Japanese,  even  to  the  last  act  in 
the  shifting  scene,  where  the  sugar  bags  are  sewed  together  by  the  deft 
fingers  of  a little  Japanese  woman  in  a holoku.  In  spite  of  the  grinding 
competition  in  the  sugar  business,  through  the  industry  of  this  army  of 
lean,  brown,  active  toilers,  it  has  been  made  to  yield  in  the  aggregate 


132 


THE  FAR  EAST. 


great  profit  here  in  Hawaii.  But  for  this  and  for  them,  without  a voice 
in  their  management,  the  history  of  the  islands  must  have  been  told  with 
far  different  results. 

The  plantation  store  is  an  important  feature  in  the  scene,  for  through 
that  the  money  of  the  labourer  largely  finds  its  way  back  to  the  power 
controlling  this  mass  of  workers.  The  prices  here  are  usually  high,  but 
the  buyer  is  helpless.  So  the  wheel  turns,  crushing  not  only  the  cane  but 
a human  grist.  It  is  true  many  of  these  labourers  are  of  the  lowest  class, 
— criminals  it  may  be,  — the  refuse  of  an  inferior  humanity  brought  to- 


JAPANESE  HOUSES. 


gether  promiscuously.  Riots  and  outbreaks  are  not  common.  It  requires  a 
stern,  strong  overseer  to  hold  in  control  such  a gang,  and  doubtless  there 
are  those  who  take  advantage  of  their  position  to  abuse  those  who  are 
powerless  to  help  themselves. 

If  they  attempt  to  desert,  the  only  way  for  them  to  escape  from  their 
bondage,  the  police  force  of  the  island  is  ready  to  hunt  them  down.  When 
captured,  as  they  usually  are,  they  are  sometimes  sent  to  the  hot  “ reef  ” 
to  work  until  the}’  are  glad  to  get  back  to  the  cooler  cane-field. 

The  worst  of  the  situation  is  the  common  herding  of  the  labourers  — 
male  and  female — much  as  a drove  of  cattle  would  be  driven  into  their  pen. 
In  the  great  yard  of  the  station  every  morning,  at  one  of  these  plantations, 


Japanese  Plantation  Barber , Hawaii 


' 


. 


HAWAII. 


133 


hundreds  of  Japanese  men  and  women  can  be  seen  marching  sullenly  to 
the  fields.  At  midday  this  little  army  returns  to  the  quarantined  men 
and  women  who  have  prepared  their  simple  meal  of  rice,  boiled  turnips, 
and  nieat,  their  daily  fare.  They  lodge,  as  they  eat,  promiscuously.  In  a 
big,  poorly  ventilated  room  they  have  their  bunks  or  wide,  bare  beds, 
where  as  many  as  half  a dozen  sleep  together.  It  can  be  truthfully  said 
of  them  that  few  if  any  have  seen  better  days,  but  under  the  sun  of 
American  civilisation  it  is  to  be  hoped  a new  day  will  soon  dawn  for  the 
unfortunate  race.  A new  treaty  with  Japan,  which  went  into  effect  in 
1899,  allows  the  United  States  to  regulate  the  immigration  of  Japanese 
labourers.  They  are  now  free  to  come  from  Hawaii  to  this  country,  but 
as  yet  none  have  shown  a disposition  to  do  so. 

There  is  a Japanese  Methodist  Episcopal  church  founded  by  Rev.  II. 
Kiliara,  a native  of  Japan,  who  was  converted  in  California,  who  then 
came  to  Hawaii.  His  membership  consists  of  about  eighty  of  his  own 
people,  but  who  are  poor. 


KUKUI  TREES. 


CHAPTER  XII. 


THE  CHINESE  IN  PARADISE. 


PREJUDICED  as  the  average  American  is  against  the  Oriental  races, 
it  is  not  easy  for  him  to  realise  the  different  standing  and  impor- 
tance of  the  Chinese  in  Hawaii  to  that  of  his  own  country.  Unlike 
the  clannish  and  ignorant  inhabitants  of  Chinatown,  San  Francisco,  or  of 

any  of  the  continental  cities, 
in  a climate  suited  to  his 
nature  and  under  influences 
tending  to  develop  his  better 
elements,  the  Chinaman  in 
Hawaii  is  really  a useful 
and  respected  citizen.  He 
has  become,  in  fact,  a Ha- 
waiian, just  as  much  as 
the  Irishman,  German,  and 
Swede,  under  conditions 
equally  favourable  to  them, 
have  become  accepted  as 
Americans.  This  does  not 
mean,  by  any  means,  that 
he  has  entirely  lost  the  in- 
herent characteristics  of  his 
countrymen,  — it  will  re- 
quire many  generations  to 

PUBLIC  LIBRARY,  HONOLULU.  . ^ ^ ° 

do  this,  — but  that  he  is  a 
faithful  and  zealous  subject  of  his  adopted  land,  where  so  many  of  its  pop- 
ulation are  aliens. 

Early  in  the  days  of  modern  Hawaii,  through  the  sandalwood  trade, 
being  the  principal  market  for  this  valuable  export,  China  began  to  play 
an  important  part  in  the  development  of  the  islands.  To  a Chinese  mer- 


1:54 


HAWAII. 


135 


chant,  who  came  to  Hawaii  in  1802,  in  the  sandalwood  business,  belongs 
the  credit  of  first  manufacturing  sugar  from  cane  growing  wild  on  the 
island.  But  the  process  was  too  slow  to  make  the  work  a success,  and  it 
was  left  for  the  inventive  genius  of  the  Americans  to  reduce  the  enter- 
prise to  a profitable  science. 

Chinese  immigration  then  followed,  very  much  after  the  manner  of  the 
coming  of  the  European  races  into  the  United  States  at  the  outset  of  open- 
ing up  of  the  country.  The  better  class  of  Chinamen,  with  a spirit  of 


IIANALEI  RIVER  AND  RICE  FIELDS. 


enterprise  and  adventure  coupled  with  the  natural  desire  to  better  their 
fortunes,  came  as  traders  or  labourers  having  the  genuine  purpose  of  stay- 
ing permanently.  Liking  the  climate  and  country,  they  soon  lost  all 
desire  to  return  to  their  native  land,  and  those  who  had  left  wives  and 
families  at  home  sent  for  them  to  help  found  new  homes  here.  More  than 
the  race  has  done  in  any  other  country  they  associated  with  the  other 
inhabitants,  intermarrying  with  them,  until  to-day  a Chinaman  is  consid- 
ered the  best  match  possible  for  a native  Hawaiian. 

The  pioneers  came  about  three-fourths  of  a century  ago,  but  the  tide  of 
immigration  had  not  fairly  set  in  that  direction  until  1840,  and  even  then 


13G 


tup:  far  east. 


the  rush  did  not  begin.  This  came  comparatively  a few  years  since,  when 
the  fright  over  the  flood  of  the  Japanese  caused  the  authorities  to  compel  the 
planters  and  seekers  after  cheap  labour  to  look  to  China  for  their  help. 
This  of  course  brought  an  influx  of  the  lower  class,  but  the  better  element 
had  gained  a footing  and  a higher  standing  than  the  natives  of  Japan  have 
yet  acquired,  or  will  for  a long  time  to  come. 

In  the  grave  perils  of  the  eighties,  when  immigration  was  overruning  the 
islands  to  the  menace  of  its  civil  liberties,  this  class  joined  with  others  zeal- 
ous for  the  good  of  the  government  to  minimise  the  common  evil  by  weed- 


UMBRF.I.LA  TREE,  COCOANUT  ISLAND. 


ing  out  as  much  as  possible  the  masses  of  those  who,  their  term  of  bondage 
over,  tended  to  become  hangers-on  of  the  country,  — paupers  and  criminals. 
The  consequence  was  that  a large  percentage  of  the  Chinese,  who  had  no 
tie  to  bind  them  longer  to  the  islands,  were  sent  home  as  soon  as  their 
time  of  contract  service  had  expired.  The  end  of  the  century  will  find 
the  last  contract  closed,  and  but  a few  of  these  labourers  in  the  country. 

It  is  true  fewer  Chinese  women  come  to  the  islands  than  of  the  other 
races,  yet  they  do  come  in  considerable  numbers,  and  the  homes  of  the 
people,  from  the  humble  huts  of  the  plantation  toilers  on  the  mountain- 
sides to  the  luxurious  dwellings  in  the  centres  of  population,  are  found  in 


•sjaixvx  ax v as.iOH  esvuo 


HAWAII. 


137 


all  parts  of  the  seven  isles.  The  following  statistics  will  give  a good  idea 
of  the  situation:  According  to  the  census  of  1896  there  were  21.616 
Chinese  on  the  islands, — 19,167  males  and  2,449  females.  There  were 
2,234  who  had  been  born  in  Hawaii,  and  of  19,317  Chinese  over  six  years 
of  age,  48.47  per  cent,  can  read  English  or  Hawaiian  or  both.  Of  665 
Chinese  children  within  school  age,  92.48  per  cent,  attend  school.  The 
Hawaiian-born  Chinese  are  10.3  per  cent,  of  the  population  born  of  for- 
eign parents.  One-fourth  of  the  Chinese  men  over  fifteen  years  of  age 
are  married,  while  of  1,269  females,  1,173  are  married,  and  the  average 


BAMBOO  TREE. 


number  of  children  born  to  a Chinese  mother  is  2.83  per  cent.  Of  these 
children  87.56  per  cent,  survive.  Since  1845,  notwithstanding  that  the 
naturalisation  of  the  Chinese  has  been  discouraged,  and  since  the  over- 
throw of  the  monarchy  no  one  of  any  race  or  nationality  has  been  so 
favoured,  722  Chinese  have  been  given  their  naturalisation  papers. 

In  regard  to  occupation,  the  Chinese,  male  and  female,  are  divided  as 
follows:  Labourers,  10,941;  farmers,  1,278;  rice  planters,  718;  team- 
sters, 105;  mechanics,  220;  fishers,  294;  ranchers,  98;  coffee  planters, 
36  ; mariners,  15  ; merchants  and  traders,  823  ; clerks  and  salesmen,  295  ; 
doctors,  15 ; other  professions,  such  as  teachers,  law  clerks,  etc.,  303 ; 
miscellaneous  occupations,  1,569.  Nearly  a thousand  of  the  Chinese  have 


138 


THE  FAR  EAST. 


professed  the  Christian  religion,  sixty-seven  having  joined  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church,  and  886  the  Protestant. 

The  number  of  Chinese  owning  their  homes  is  800,  all  but  200  of 
their  houses  being  built  on  long-leased  lands,  which  is  the  prevailing 
custom  among  all  nationalities.  They  own  more  horses  and  working- 
cattle  than  any  other  race,  having  over  three  thousand  horses  and  nearly 
half  as  many  cattle.  They  own  7.862  pigs,  a larger  number  than  any 
other  race  on  the  islands.  ' In  Hawaii  each  business  is  licensed,  and  the 


NUUANU  STREET,  HONOLULU. 


Chinese  in  1897  held  1,623  licenses,  paying  to  the  government  in  these 
fees  $48,724.  They  own  property  assessed  at  $125,274.31,  and  they 
paid  in  1897,  with  their  license  fees,  nearly  one-eighth  of  the  amount 
raised  in  taxes  for  the  year.  An  observant  writer  says  of  the  race: 

“ As  independent  farmers  and  agriculturists,  the  Chinese  number 
1,278.  Most  of  these  have  only  small  holdings.  They  raise  vegetables, 
which  are  largely  sold  to  the  white  families,  and  when  away  from  the 
centres  of  population,  corn,  potatoes,  and  figs  are  their  chief  sources 
of  income.  As  rice  planters  they  have  almost  a monopoly,  numbering 


HAWAII. 


139 


718  out  of  844.  In  this  line  the  Chinese  have  been  of  great  benefit 
to  the  country.  Large  areas  of  land  which  were  unfit  for  ordinary 
cultivation,  great  reed-covered  swamps,  which  were  the  home  of  the 
wild  duck  and  the  water-hen,  have  been  made  productive  by  them,  and 
now  yield  a fine  rent  to  the  owners  of  the  land  and  a revenue  in  taxa- 
tion to  the  government.  As  fishermen,  the  Chinese  stand  next  to  the 
Hawaiians,  numbering  no  less  than  294.  But  the  Hawaiian  fisher- 
men work  chiefly  each  for 
themselves  or  in  little  com- 
panies of  from  three  to  half 
a dozen.  The  Chinese  work 
in  large  companies,  a firm 
of  small  capitalists  owning 
the  boats,  nets,  and  drying- 
houses  and  other  buildings, 
and  employing  their  own 
countrymen  at  wages,  and 
sometimes  with  a small  in- 
terest in  the  firm,  to  do  the 
work.  If  there  is  one  thing 
that  this  race  understands 
better  than  another,  it  is  co- 
operative labour.  By  means 
of  it  they  get  more  out  of 
their  workers  than  any  other 
race  can  obtain  out  of  them. 

The  Chinese  take  the  lead  among  merchants  and  traders,  more  than 
half  of  those  so  employed  being  Chinese.” 

The  Chinese  servants,  of  which  there  are  many,  with  Japanese  a good 
second,  seldom  live  in  the  house  with  their  employers,  but  have  dwell- 
ings of  their  own,  going  to  their  place  of  occupation  in  the  morning  and 
returning  to  their  homes  in  the  evening.  They  ask  for  only  one  holiday, 
the  Chinese  New  Year,  which  comes  on  February  1st.  Then  they 
absent  themselves  for  the  time,  and  their  places  must  be  filled  by  other 
persons.  Before  going  it  is  the  custom  to  make  their  “ mamma,”  or 
mistress,  a present  of  some  Chinese  trinket,  a high-coloured  vase,  some 


WILD  GINGER. 


140 


THE  FAR  EAST. 


fancy  work,  flowers  or  sweetmeats,  receiving  in  return  some  gift  that 
is  sure  to  be  appreciated  by  them. 

The  Chinese  are  among  the  most  generous  contributors  to  educational 
and  benevolent  enterprises,  calling  less  on  the  general  resources  for 
charity  than  any  other  nationality.  The  fountainhead  of  the  philan- 
thropic work  is  the  United  Chinese  Society  of  Honolulu,  a representative 
body  including  all  the  smaller  organisations,  concerning  which  it  has 


A LANAI  OR  VERANDA. 


been  said:  ‘•'The  functions  of  the  United  Chinese  Society  includes  all 
those  things,  whether  of  business,  philanthropy,  public  spirit,  race,  or 
national  matters,  or  matters  of  intellectual  uplift,  which  can  be  better 
done  through  organisation  than  by  individual  interests.  It  succours  the 
poor,  finds  work  for  the  unemplo}red,  takes  care  of  the  sick,  relieves 
widows  and  orphans,  buries  the  dead,  sees  to  the  return  to  China  of  the 
bones  of  those  who,  dying  here,  wished  their  bones  buried  on  their 
ancestral  soil.  It  has  charge  of  the  public  celebrations,  of  national 
holidays  and  events ; it  entertains  those  who  are  the  guests  of  the 


MAKEE  I5L  fiNU  -J.Ji.  EONS  ALVES  -MOT. 


HAWAII. 


141 


whole  people.  It  looks  after  the  general  interest  of  the  Chinese  in 
Hawaii.” 

Honolulu  has  been  aptly  termed  the  Paradise  of  the  Chinese.  In  their 
quarters,  for  even  in  Hawaii  they  collect  together  more  or  less,  one  sees 
none  of  the  filthy  alleys  and  unsightly  homes.  The  yards  are  surrounded 
by  neat  fences  and  flowers.  The  walls  of  the  dwellings  are  festooned 
with  vines,  and  over  trellises  are  seen  ripening  figs  and  other  fruits. 


STREET  IN  HONOLULU. 


Everywhere  peace  and  contentment  reign,  for  the  industrious  Mon- 
golian here  follows  his  busy  routine  or  work  or  business  without  fear 
of'  molestation.  His  tiny  shops,  instead  of  show-windows  having  their 
entire  fronts  open  during  the  day  and  closed  with  stout  wooden  shutters 
at  night,  line  the  streets.  Numerous  occupations  have  been  taken  up  by 
them,  one  of  the  most  common  being  that  of  the  tailor,  John  in  his 
native  dress  and  queue,  running  a sewing-machine  in  making  cotton 
holokus  for  the  Hawaiian  women,  presenting  an  odd  picture  of  Oriental 
and  Occidental  life.  But  this  is  not  at  all  noticeable  in  the  Hawaiian 


142 


THE  FAIi  EAST. 


capital,  which  affords  a shifting  panorama  of  lives  of  many  colours  and 
combinations  of  customs. 

Chinatown  would  lose  its  most  prominent  trait  without  its  joss-houses 
with  their  curious  architecture  and  worshippers  crooning  and  mumbling 
before  their  hideous  gods.  These  are  not  lacking  in  Honolulu,  though 
they  are  less  pretentious  in  appearance  than  those  seen  in  San  Fran- 


BISHOP  MUSEUM. 


cisco.  The  Chinese  here,  too,  have  two  theatres,  where  actors  of  repute 
and  ability  perform  their  parts  to  appreciative  audiences. 

In  close  proximity  to  their  temples  of  worship  are  the  schools,  the 
largest  Chinese  schools  outside  of  the  empire,  where  the  pupils,  numbering 
about  one  hundred  and  fifty,  are  taught  English  as  well  as  their  own 
language,  which  is  soon  forgotten  when  they  have  acquired  the  former. 
They  have  a most  attractive  kindergarten,  separate  rooms  being  fitted  up 
with  charts,  pictures,  blackboards,  and  tables,  for  the  boys  and  girls,  all 
of  whom  look  very  picturesque,  if  not  pretty,  in  their  native  costumes,  and 
show  great  eagerness  to  master  the  tasks  before  them. 


HAWAII. 


143 


« 

The  Chinese  of  Honolulu  support  two  churches,  the  Christian,  of  Congre- 
gational affiliations,  and  St.  Paul  s,  whose  patron  is  the  Anglican  Bishop  of 
Honolulu.  There  is  also  a Chinese  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association, 
the  first  of  its  kind  in  the  world.  This  is  well  organised  and  supported, 
but  for  more  effective  work  among  its  class  is  the  Mills  Institute,  the 
Chinese  name  of  which  is  Chinn  Chan  Shue  Shat,  meaning  u searching  for 
truth  literary  institution.”  A home  day  and  boarding  school  for  Chinese 


AVENUE  OK  PALMS,  PRIVATE  GARDEN. 


youth  occupies  commodious  buildings,  set  in  beautiful  grounds  near  the 
centre  of  Honolulu.  Its  influence  is  felt  all  over  the  islands,  and  it  is 
generously  maintained  by  Chinese  and  whites. 

What  is  likely  to  prove  a popular  benevolent  institution  is  the  Chinese 
hospital  recently  completed  in  Honolulu  on  grounds  given  by  the  govern- 
ment for  that  purpose.  It  is  in  charge  of  a physician  and  surgeon 
graduated  in  Hong  Kong  according  to  Occidental  system  of  medicine  and 
surgery,  also  another  trained  in  the  same  city  but  under  the  Chinese 
methods  of  treatment,  the  patient  being  allowed  his  choice.  This  hospital 


144 


TIIE  FAR  EAST. 


is  liberally  supported  by  the  Chinese  and  is  free  to  receive  patients  from 
that  nationality. 

Honolulu  has  a well-equipped  and  well-disciplined  Chinese  fire  brigade, 
which  has  built  its  own  engine-house,  and  bought  its  engines  and  uniforms 
from  money  raised  by  subscription  among  its  own  countrymen. 

As  might  be  expected  in  a community  as  numerous  and  prominent  as 
that  of  the  Chinese  in  Hawaii,  there  are  to  be  found  many  men  of  thought 
and  action,  who  are  not  only  leaders  among  their  countrymen,  but  who 
are  prominent  among  the  business  and  professional  men  of  all  nationalities. 
Under  the  Hawaiian  government,  monarchy  or  republic,  the  race  has  been 
treated  fairly  and  has  no  complaint  to  make,  though  from  apparent 
reason  a large  percentage  are  not  really  citizens  and  cannot  become  such, 
but  are  aliens.  The  treaty  of  annexation  to  the  United  States  prohibits 
any  further  immigration  of  the  Chinese  to  Hawaii,  or  from  that  territory 
to  the  continent.  But  unlike  the  Japanese,  the  Chinese  are  not  much 
inclined  to  meddle  with  politics,  and  appear  a contented  people  in  American 
Hawaii. 


liOYAL  PALM  AVKNITE. 


KICK  CULTIVATION. 


NUUANU  AVENUE. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

ANNEXATION. 

WITHIN  a hundred  years  the  flags  of  European  countries  have 
floated  over  the  islands  four  times : first,  the  Russian  in  1815  ; 
second,  the  French  in  1839;  third,  the  British  in  1843;  and 
fourth,  the  French  again  in  1849,  when  Admiral  Tromelin,  of  the  navy 
of  France,  seized  the  fort  at  Honolulu.  Reluctantly  each  time  these 
powers  had  withdrawn  their  hold  upon  the  little  kingdom,  and  ever  after- 
ward stood  expectantly  waiting  for  the  opportunity  when  they  could 
lay  their  hands  on  this  “ Key  of  the  Pacific.”  Another  power,  too,  Japan, 
had  sprung  into  the  front  rank  of  aspiring  nations,  presenting  a stronger 
threat  than  all  the  others  against  the  safety  of  the  new  government. 

The  idea  of  annexation  to  the  United  States  was  transplanted  .by  the 
Yankees  along  with  their  business  connections.  Thus,  with  their 
Americanising  influences,  we  see,  from  the  days  of  the  first  Kameliameha 


146 


tup:  far  east. 


through  all  the  changes  of  rulers,  a continual  agitation  of  this  subject, 
and  time  and  again  appeals  were  made  for  some  sort  of  an  alliance  with 
the  great  American  republic. 

The  Provisional  Government  was  no  sooner  formed  than  a commission 
was  sent  to  Washington  to  reiterate  in  stronger  terms  than  ever  this  claim. 
This  commission  consisted  of  Hon.  L.  A.  Thurston,  W.  C.  Wilder,  W.  R. 
Castle,  J.  Marsden,  and  C.  L.  Carter,  and  the  same  steamer  that  conveyed 


GOVERNMENT  BUILDING. 


them  to  San  Francisco  carried  a letter  of  remonstrance  from  the  ex- 
queen. 

Benjamin  Harrison  was  then  President  of  the  United  States,  and  he  was 
believed  to  feel  friendly  toward  the  measure.  Minister  John  L.  Stevens 
and  Captain  Wiltse  of  the  navy  decided  to  establish  a temporary  pro- 
tectorate over  the  islands,  and  raised  the  flag  of  the  United  States  on 
February  1,  1893,  when  the  first  issued  the  following  proclamation : 

“ At  the  request  of  the  Provisional  Government  of  the  Hawaiian  Islands, 
I hereby,  in  the  name  of  the  United  States  of  America,  assume  protection 


HAWAII. 


147 


of  the  Hawaiian  Islands  for  the  protection  of  life  and  property,  and  occu- 
pation of  public  buildings  and  Hawaiian  soil,  so  far  as  may  be  necessary 
for  the  purpose  specified,  but  not  interfering  with  the  administration  of 
public  affairs  by  the  Provisional  Government.  This  action  is  taken  pend- 
ing and  subject  to  the  negotiation  at  Washington.” 

The  American  Secretary  of  State,  however,  did  not  approve  of  the  action, 
claiming  that  it  was  not  consistent  with  the  existing  state  of  affairs  be- 
tween the  countries  to  impair  “ in  any  way  the  independent  sovereignty  of 
the  Hawaiian  government  by 
substituting  the  flag  and  power 
of  the  United  States  as  symbol 
and  manifestation  of  paramount 
authority.”  A new  political 
power  came  into  possession  of 
the  government  at  Washington, 
and  upon  the  inauguration  of 
President  Cleveland  on  March 
4,  1893,  he  withdrew  the  treaty. 

On  the  11th  instant  he  sent 
Commissioner  Blount  to  Hawaii 
to  investigate  the  situation. 

March  31st  Commissioner 
Blount  notified  President  Dole 
that  the  American  protectorate 
must  end,  and  April  1st  the 
American  flag  was  hauled  down 
without  any  public  notice,  as 
President  Dole  feared  an  outbreak  from  the  masses  if  it  should  be  known 
abroad  at  the  time.  The  royalists  now  believed  there  was  hope  for  them, 
while  the  European  powers  did  not  attempt  to  conceal  their  pleasure  over 
the  turn  in  affairs. 

Though  severely  censured  by  some,  no  doubt  Commissioner  Blount  made 
such  an  investigation  as  he  could  under  the  peculiar  circumstances  in 
which  he  was  placed.  At  any  rate  his  report  was  not  favourable  to  an- 
nexation, and  it  became  apparent  the  administration  had  little  objection 
toward  reinstating  the  deposed  queen  if  it  could  be  done  quietly,  pro- 


148 


TIIE  FAli  EAST. 


fessing  to  believe  that  slie  had  been  treated  unfairly  by  the  American 
minister  in  landing  troops  at  the  critical  period  of  the  revolution.  We 
have  seen  that  this  was  done  without  any  motives  of  intervention,  except 
to  protect  American  property,  which  this  government  was  bound  to  do  in 
case  of  any  outbreak.  If  restored  to  power  the  queen  must  “ grant  full 
amnesty  to  all  who  had  participated  in  the  move  against  her,  including 
persons  who  are  or  have  been  officially  or  otherwise  connected  with  the 


NUUANU  STREET,  HONOLULU. 


Provisional  Government,  depriving  them  of  no  right  or  privilege  which 
they  enjoyed  before  the  so-called  revolution.  All  obligations  created  by 
the  Provisional  Government  in  the  course  of  administration  should  be 
assumed.” 

At  first  the  queen  flatly  refused  to  accept  these  terms,  but  finally  agreed 
to  them  and  signed  the  proper  papers,  when  Mr.  Willis,  who  bad  succeeded 
Minister  Stevens,  presented  it  to  the  president  of  the  Provisional  Govern- 
ment, who  declined  to  agree  to  the  proposition,  or  to  yield  the  power  which 
had  been  vested  in  him  as  the  chief  executive  of  Hawaii,  and  also  as  min- 


AVENUE  OF  PALMS, 


HAWAII. 


149 


ister  of  foreign  affairs.  Upon  receiving  this  report  President  Cleveland 
commended  the  vexatious  matter  “ to  the  extended  powers  and  wise 
discretion  of  Congress,”  where  no  special  action  was  taken. 

The  Provisional  Government  remained  firm  in  its  possession,  though  the 
royalists  and  their  sympathisers  continued  to  hope  that  the  United  States 
would  yet  step  in  and  reinstate  the  queen.  When  the  republic  was  form- 
ally announced  on  July  4,  1894,  the  United  States  recognised  its  au- 
thority, and  other  national  powers  did  so  during  the  year,  so  that  the 
republic  was  fairly  established,  though  the  government  rested  upon  a 


PROCLAMATION  OF  RF.PUBLIC,  .JULY  4,  1894. 


volcano,  which,  like  its  fiery  mountains,  was  liable  to  break  out  at  any 
moment. 

The  political  leaders  and  plotters  of  the  defeated  party  kept  the  natives 
in  a continual  condition  of  alarm,  fearful  that  their  property  or  liberty 
would  be  taken  from  them.  By  some  it  was  believed  that  the  colour  line 
would  be  drawn  as  it  had  never  been.  Plots  and  schemes  were  soon  afoot, 
no  doubt  with  the  knowledge  if  not  the  assistance  of  the  queen,  to  restore 
her  to  power.  Arms  were  procured  and  concealed  to  be  in  readiness  for 
use  in  case  the  plans  should  mature.  Secret  meetings  were  held  in  the 
vicinity  of  Honolulu  with  increasing  frequency,  and  early  in  the  new  year* 


150 


tup:  far  east. 


on  the  afternoon  of  Sunday,  January  6th,  the  police  were  notified  that  a 
party  of  suspicious  characters,  mostly  natives,  were  gathered  at  a house 
near  Diamond  Head.  Captain  R.  W.  Parker  immediately  sent  some  officers 
with  search  warrants  to  the  place.  On  their  way  they  were  joined  by  four 
Americans,  but  native  born.  Upon  reaching  the  houses  the  party  was  fired 
upon,  and  one  of  the  volunteers,  Mr.  Charles  L.  Carter,  who  had  been  a 
member  of  the  late  commission  to  the  United  States,  was  mortally  wounded, 
so  that  he  died  a few  hours  later.  The  situation  now  looked  serious. 

At  the  time  religious  services  were  being  held  at  the  Central  Union 
Church,  where  a large  congregation  had  gathered,  and  the  Rev.  Mr. 


WAIKIKI  ROAD  ALONG  THE  BEACn. 


Bernie  was  in  the  midst  of  one  of  his  eloquent  discourses  when,  unnoticed 
by  the  listeners,  a man  entered  the  building  and  whispered  to  a member 
of  the  National  Guards  sitting  near  the  door: 

“ The  natives  have  opened  hostilities  at  Bertlemann’s  house  beyond 
Waikiki.  They  have  killed  Carter,  and  wounded  two  or  three.  Notify 
the  members  of  the  Guards  to  meet  at  their  quarters  at  once.” 

This  man,  whose  name  was  Benner,  went  silently  and  swiftly  from 
pew  to  pew,  and  whispered  to  those  here  and  there  the  call,  when  each 
individual  went  out  without  disturbing  the  preacher,  who  must  have 
felt  surprise  at  seeing  so  many  quietly  leaving  him.  If  those  who  were 
left  were  curious  as  to  the  cause  which  had  taken  so  many  of  their 
number  away,  quiet  reigned  in  the  house  until  the  clatter  of  horses’  feet, 


HAWAII. 


151 


as  the  cavalry  dashed  past,  and  the  report  of  firearms  aroused  all  to  a 
sense  of  the  situation.  A rush  was  immediately  made  for  the  door,  and 
Mr.  Bernie,  thus  rudely  broken  in  his  sermon,  followed  his  congrega- 
tion to  learn  the  extent  of  the  alarm  and  its  cause. 

Soldiers  were  to  be  seen  forming  and  marching  away ; there  was 
news  of  fighting  near  Diamond  Head  ; flying  reports  of  many  killed 
and  wounded  were  repeated  on  every  hand,  while  intense  excitement 
reigned  in  all  sections.  An  insurrection  was  on  foot,  but  beyond  that 


BISHOP  HALL,  OAHU  COLLEGE. 


the  best  posted  could  give  nothing  definite.  That  was  the  most  anxious 
night  Honolulu  ever  knew.  The  gravity  and  danger  of  the  situation 
was  now  fully  realised,  and  the  following  day  twelve  hundred  armed 
men  were  called  to  the  assistance,  and  martial  law  proclaimed. 

Sharp  fighting  ensued  for  several  days,  until  the  native  forces  under 
the  command  of  Samuel  Nowlein,  formerly  colonel  of  the  queen’s  body- 
guard, and  Robert  Wilcox,  who  had  been  at  the  head  of  the  uprising  in 
1887,  were  forced  to  surrender.  Several  of  their  number  had  been 
killed,  and  the  uprising  was  at  last  under  control.  During  this  and 


152 


THE  FAR  EAST. 


all  previous  revolutions  seven  lives  had  been  lost  on  the  republic’s  side, 
and  as  many  wounded. 

A trial  was  given  the  captured  conspirators,  beginning  January  17th 
and  lasting  for  thirty-six  days.  The  leaders  were  sentenced  to  pay 
heavy  fines,  and  to  suffer  long  terms  of  imprisonments.  The  ex-queen, 
believed  to  have  been  concerned  in  the  insurrection,  was  arrested  and 
given  trial  with  the  others.  Her  sentence  was  a fine  of  five  thousand 
dollars  and  imprisonment  for  five  years.  She  remained  in  detention  until 
December,  when  her  sentence  was  remitted,  and  signing  a formal  letter 


DIAMOND  IIKAD. 


of  abdication  on  January  24,  1895,  she  was  fully  pardoned.  She  then 
started  on  a journey  abroad,  coming  to  the  United  States  during  her  tour. 

Uninterrupted  peace  succeeded,  while  the  Hawaiian  republic  grew 
steadily  stronger  and  more  prosperous.  It  now  showed  that  it  had 
level-headed  men  at  its  head,  and  that  it  was  deserving  of  consideration  ; 
that  annexation  to  the  United  States  meant  a “consummation,  not  a 
change.”  The  politics  of  the  United  States  government,  which  had 
ever  had  much  to  do  with  the  policy  of  Hawaiian  annexation,  again 
had  changed.  Hawaiian  commissioners  appeared  in  Washington  soon 
after  the  inauguration  of  President  McKinley,  and  an  annexation  treaty 
was  sent  to  the  Senate.  While  this  body  hesitated  and  considered  the 


BARKING  SANDS. 


HAWAII. 


153 


matter,  the  Spanish-American  war  broke  out ; Admiral  Dewey  won  his 
famous  victory  at  Manila,  and  with  the  prospect  of  the  United  States’ 
new  power  in  the  Far  East,  the  need  of  the  Hawaiian  Islands  as  a half-way 
station  on  the  broad  Pacific  was  realised  as  it  never  had  been  before.  The 
bill  of  annexation  now  met  with  little  opposition,  and  on  Thursday,  July 
7,  1898,  President  McKinley  approved  of  the  work  of  Congress  by  his 


U.  S.  CRU1SKR  PHILADELPHIA. 


official  signature,  when  the  dream  of  American  Hawaii  was  at  last  ful- 
filled. 

July  18th,  the  steamer  Coptic  reached  Honolulu  from  San  Francisco, 
carrying  the  news  of  annexation.  As  this  fact  had  been  anticipated,  the 
people  were  prepared  to  receive  the  messenger  with  demonstrations  of 
delight.  Whistles  from  mills,  foundries,  and  steamers  screamed  out  the 
announcement  of  the  tidings  from  every  quarter;  fireworks  set  the 
town  ablaze ; while  the  streets  were  paraded  by  marching  columns  and 
bands  played  patriotic  American  airs.  Altogether  it  was  a great  jubilee, 
and  Captain  Sealby,  who  had  brought  the  news,  was  presented  with  a 
souvenir  cup  bearing  the  following  inscription : 


154 


TIIE  FAR  EAST. 


“ Annexation.  Presented  by  the  citizens  to  Capt.  Inman  Sealby,  R.  N. 
R.,  who  brought  the  good  news  to  Honolulu.” 

The  final  act  in  the  long  and  momentous  drama  of  annexation  was 
enacted  on  August  12,  1898,  when,  at  precisely  eight  minutes  to  twelve 
o’clock  noon,  the  Hawaiian  flag  was  hauled  down  from  the  flagstaffs  on  all 
of  the  government  buildings,  and  just  three  minutes  later  the  stars  and 
stripes  were  run  up  in  their  places.  The  ceremonies  were  simple  and 


HAWAIIAN  FEAST. 


impressive,  as  became  the  scene.  A noticeable  feature  of  the  occasion  was 
the  small  number  of  Hawaiians  witnessing  the  event.  They  were  showing 
their  affection  for  their  former  queen,  who  had  returned  to  her  native  land 
a few  days  before.  No  people  have  stronger  love  for  their  rulers  than  the 
natives  of  Hawaii.  At  a public  reception  given  Liliuokalani  a short  time 
before,  many  of  them  had  come  miles  to  pay  her  homage.  To-day  their 
absence  spoke,  more  forcibly  for  them  than  any  words  could  have  done, 
their  feelings.  In  more  ways  than  one  the  occasion  reminded  the  specta- 
tors of  a funeral,  which  it  partly  was : the  last  rites  over  a traditional 
government.  The  national  anthem,  “ Hawaii  Ponoi,”  was  played  for  the 


HAWAII. 


155 


last  time ; the  bugle  tapped,  and  the  Hawaiian  ensign  of  the  Kame- 
hamehas,  under  which  many  of  those  present  had  been  born,  sank  from 
sight  for  ever  as  a national  emblem.  Amid  the  intense  silence  of  the 
onlookers  came  the  bugle  call  again,  the  band  played  the  “ Star  Spangled 
Banner,”  when  “ Old  Glory  ” rose  on  the  tropical  breeze,  henceforth  the 
national  flag  of  the  first  republic  of  the  Pacific.  Cheers  now  rang  on 
the  air;  eyes  that  were  moist  with  tears  a minute  before  brightened  as  the 
new  colours  made  a beautiful  picture  overhead,  which  seemed  to  augur 
well  for  the  future. 

The  hour  fraught  with  so  much  sadness  to  the  Hawaiian  passed,  and 
having  a better  and  fuller  appreciation  of  the  new  era  dawning  upon  their 
home  land,  the  new  subjects  of  Uncle  Sam  moved  about  with  lighter  hearts 
than  they  had  known  since  the  beginning  of  the  revolution.  The  republic 
has  nothing  to  fear  from  them,  for  more  loyal  subjects  never  acknowledged 
fealty  to  a sovereign. 

The  population  of  the  islands  in  1896  was  109,020,  divided  as  follows 
among  the  different  races:  Hawaiian,  31,019;  mixed  Hawaiian,  8,485; 
Japanese,  24,000;  Chinese,  21,000;  Portuguese,  15,000;  other  Europeans, 
4,000  ; Americans,  3,08G.  But  these  figures  do  not  forecast  the  true  situ- 
ation. Notwithstanding  the  small  percentage  of  their  number,  the  islands 
are  an  American  colony.  What  Hawaii  has  gained  of  civilisation,  of 
religion,  of  education,  and  government  has  been  derived  from  American 
sources.  Neither  have  the  islands  been  unmindful  of  this.  Everywhere 
American  influence  has  been  acknowledged,  and  American  counsel  sought. 
They  proved  their  loyalty  to  the  Union  by  sending  into  the  army  during 
the  civil  war  more  than  their  quota  of  soldiers  voluntarily.  Our  patriotic 
days  have  been  observed  with  all  the  enthusiasm  as  at  home.  In  Hono- 
lulu Fourth  of  July  is  as  faithfully  kept  as  here ; Memorial  Day  sees  its 
lines  of  marching  veterans  filing  in  solemn  manner  to  the  graves  of  her 
soldier  dead,  followed  by  citizens  of  every  nationality  as  sincere  mourners ; 
and  Thanksgiving  Day  is  observed  with  even  greater  faithfulness  than  in 
New  England.  No  territory  of  the  United  States  has  been  annexed  with 
so  strong  a leaven  of  Americanism  as  these  islands. 

Chief  Justice  Judd  administered  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  President  Dole 
and  the  other  officials,  all  of  whom  were  authorised  to  conduct  the  local 
government  of  the  islands  until  Congress  should  take  further  action  in  the 
matter  of  administration. 


OAIIU,  if  not  the  largest,  the  most  fertile  or  picturesque  of  the 
group,  is  the  most  important  of  the  Hawaiian  Islands,  a supremacy 
gained  for  it  by  its  harbours,  the  finest  in  the  Pacific.  Its  sea- 
coast,  broken  on  the  southeast  by  rocky  islands,  and  on  the  southwest, 
or  windward  side,  by  rugged  cliffs  thrusting  their  high,  craggy  breasts 
down  to  the  very  edge  of  the  water,  where  the  surf  beats  with  an  incessant 
roar,  is  generally  bordered  by  a belt  of  fertile  plains  from  a quarter  of  a 
mile  in  Avidth  to  six  miles,  ascending  toward  the  interior  until  stopped  by 
the  mountain  ranges,  whose  brown  and  yellow  tints,  showing  their  volcanic 
origin,  contrast  vividly  with  the  perennial  green  of  the  lowlands.  Between 
these  ridges,  which  look  in  the  sea  distance  like  terraced  hills  and  detached 
peaks,  are  frequent  valleys  and  elevated  plateaus  of  great  fertility,  the  lava 
beds  of  unrecorded  days. 

Long  sections  fringed  with  graceful  cocoa-palms  raising  their  plumed 
crests  on  fragile  stems,  a coral  reef,  often  half  a mile  in  width,  nearly 
encircles  the  island. 

Trending  from  southeast  to  northwest  parallel  mountain  ranges  cross  the 

150 


MERCHANTS  COUNTRY  HOUSES. 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

VISTAS  OF  OAIIU. 


PALMS  AT  WAIKIKI. 


HAWAII. 


157 


island  on  the  east  and  west  sides.  The  highest  altitude  is  the  peak  of 
Kaula,  4,060  feet  above  the  sea,  and  belonging  to  the  western  and  shorter 
line.  Between  these  backbones  of  Oahu,  and  forming  its  largest  agricul- 
tural districts,  is  Ewa  Plain,  at  places  ten  miles  in  width  and  twenty  in 
length,  extending  from  the  shore  of  Pearl  River  harbour  on  the  south  to 
the  sandy  plains  of  Waialua  Bay  district  on  the  north.  Next  in  size,  and 
exceeding  it  in  fertility,  is  the  rich,  alluvial  plain  of  Honolulu,  ten  miles  in 
length  and  two  in  width.  Another  ideal  tract  is  Nuuanu  Valley,  bounded 


LAVA  HEAP. 


by  a mountain  wall  twenty  miles  in  length  on  the  upper  side,  and  below 
by  the  green,  rolling  plain.  Among  the  other  fertile  lands  are  Manoa 
Valley,  inland  from  Waikiki,  six  miles  south  of  the  capital,  and  the 
favoured  rice-fields  and  cocoanut  groves  of  Moanalua,  scarcely  five  miles 
from  Honolulu  in  the  opposite  direction. 

At  the  foot  of  the  eastern  range  of  mountains,  on  what  was  seventy- 
five  years  ago  a treeless  sand-plain,  sits  the  “ Mistress  of  the  Pacific,” 
her  back  to  the  wide  framework  of  lava  domes,  volcanic  peaks,  and 
truncated  cones,  grim  reminders  still  of  those  days  when  this  scene  was 


158 


TIIE  FAR  EAST. 


the  amphitheatre  of  that  fiery  power  at  work  upon  its  still  unfinished 
task  of  building  the  Island  Paradise.  Decked  with  her  flowers  and 
profusion  of  palms,  the  queen  sits  looking  out  upon  the  shimmering  bay, 
a native  of  the  tropics,  with  the  blood  of  the  temperate  zone  coursing 
through  her  veins. 

Honolulu  is  on  the  south  shore  of  Oahu,  nearly  central  of  the  whole 
group  of  islands,  and  has  a harbour  well  suited  to  the  needs  of  a com- 
mercial metropolis.  It  is  said  that  Captain  Brown,  of  the  English  ship 
Butter  worthy  was  the  first  white  man  to  discover  the  bay,  and  he  gave 
it  the  name  of  Fairhaven.  This  was  very  appropriate,  but  was  soon 
forgotten  when  its  Hawaiian  substitute  was  found.  As  has  been  men- 
tioned, Kamehameha’s  John  Smith,  whose  surname  was  Young,  advised 
making  this  the  site  of  the  Hawaiian  capital,  and  in  November,  1820, 
the  little  fishing  hamlet  was  occupied  as  the  future  seat  of  power. 

The  entrance  to  the  harbour  is  somewhat  difficult  to  those  ignorant 
of  the  windings  of  its  passage,  but  once  the  way  is  made  the  incom- 
ing craft  ride  safely  at  anchor  within  its  protecting  arms.  One  of 
the  most  striking  landmarks  that  attracts  the  approaching  seafarer  is 
Leahi,  or  Diamond  Head,  looking  in  the  distance  like  a huge  watch-dog 
crouching  on  his  forepaws  at  this  exposed  point,  while  he  continues  his 
long  and  lonely  vigil  over  the  sea.  Once,  when  its  sides  throbbed  with 
the  mighty  forces  at  play  within,  it  must  have  presented  a majestic  form, 
— a stupendous  lighthouse  illuminating  far  and  wide  the  troubled 
waters.  But  its  mighty  walls  fell  with  the  blowing  out  of  its  light 
thousands  of  years  ago,  and  ever  since  its  ruins  have  remained  as  a 
memento  of  its  former  greatness. 

Honolulu  has  a population  in  round  numbers  of  thirty  thousand,  a 
cosmopolitan  people,  refined,  intelligent,  prosperous,  earnest  in  whatever 
they  undertake.  You  see  this  in  the  cleanliness  of  the  seventy  miles  of 
streets,  in  its  well-built  brick  and  stone  business  blocks,  in  its  handsome 
residences,  in  its  public  buildings,  in  its  good  roads  about  the  city,  and 
its  attractive  drives  into  the  country.  It  is  a city  of  foliage  and  flowers, 
whose  tropical  trees  and  plants  are  laden  with  a wide  variety  of  fruit 
and  fragrance ; it  is  preeminently  the  city  of  homes,  where  tenement 
houses  are  comparatively  unknown. 

The  public  buildings  are  in  keeping  with  the  thriving  city,  among 


HAWAII. 


159 


which  can  be  named  the  Government  Building  and  National  Palace, 
fine  buildings  both  of  them  in  settings  of  trees,  flowers,  and  beautiful 
lawns,  with  spacious  grounds;  Honolulu  Free  Library,  which  contains 
over  twelve  thousand  volumes  of  general  literature  ; Post-Office  Building ; 
Bishop  Museum ; Public  Hospital ; Iolani  Palace,  claimed  to  cost  five 
hundred  thousand  dollars ; Aliiolani  Hall,  the  main  government  build- 
ing, where  the  Legislature  meets ; Lunalilo  Home,  built  by  that  king 
as  a home  for  aged  and  indigent  Hawaiians ; Queen’s  Hospital,  in- 


Y.  M.  C.  A.  BUILDING. 


tended  for  the  relief  of  Hawaiians  of  both  sexes  free;  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association  Building ; Old  Folks’  Home ; Opera  House, 
capable  of  seating  one  thousand  people ; Oahu  Jail ; Insane  Asylum ; 
Royal  Mausoleum,  and  many  others.  Handsome  churches  of  various 
denominations,  as  has  been  described,  and  good  schools  of  the  several 
grades  and  Oahu  College  speak  of  the  moral  and  educating  influences 
of  the  people.  The  city  has  a good  system  of  water-works,  and  a well- 
equipped  fire  department  with  latest  steam  fire  engine. 

Honolulu  is  favoured  with  a fine  lookout,  Punch  Bowl  Hill,  the  burnt- 


160 


THE  FAli  EAST. 


off  cone  of  an  extinct  crater,  rising  in  a circular  form  to  a height  of 
almost  five  hundred  feet,  with  the  town  and  its  suburbs  at  its  base. 
From  this  sightly  spot  the  surrounding  country,  from  Diamond  Head  on 
the  east  to  Pearl  River  on  the  west,  is  spread  out  like  a panorama. 

The  most  popular  resort  of  the  island  is  the  famous  Waikiki,  the  Long 
Branch  of  Honolulu.  Here  are  fine  private  residences,  picturesque  cottages, 


WAIANAE. 

cool  and  delicious  groves  of  cocoanut-trees  which  were  the  favourite  resort 
of  early  kings ; in  the  background  the  corrugated  mountain  range ; in 
front,  the  wide  crescent  beach,  one  horn  tipped  by  the  red  crag  of  Diamond 
Head,  and  the  other  by  the  opal  tints  of  Waianae  range;  outside  the 
emerald  sea,  dancing,  sparkling,  inviting  all  to  its  soothing  embrace. 
There  are  attractive  bath-houses,  and  ocean  bathing  here  has  none  of  the 
chill  freshness  of  a New  England  atmosphere.  There  is  no  fairer  beach, 
no  smoother  bottom,  no  clearer  water  than  at  Waikiki,  and,  what  is  better, 
every  one  seems  to  catch  the  spirit  of  the  native,  who  is  never  so  much  at 


Shrimp  Fisherman , Hawaii 


. 


* 


. 


HAWAII. 


161 


home  as  when,  surf -board  in  hand,  he  rides  the  rolling  billows.  The  poet 
proves  something  of  its  entrancing  beauty,  when  he  says : 

‘The  cocoa,  with  its  crest  of  spears, 

Stands  sentry  round  the  crescent  shore, 

An  algaroba,  bent  with  years, 

Keeps  watch  beside  the  lanai  door. 

The  cool  winds  fan  the  mango’s  cheek, 

The  mynah  Hits  from  tree  to  tree, 

And  zephyrs  to  the  roses  speak 
Their  sweetest  words  at  Waikiki. 

“ Like  truant  children  of  the  deep 
Escaped  behind  a coral  wall, 

The  lisping  wavelets  laugh  and  weep, 

Nor  heed  old  ocean’s  stern  recall. 

All  day  they  frolic  with  the  sands, 

Kiss  pink-lipped  shell  with  wanton  glee, 

Make  windrows  with  their  patting  hands, 

And  singing  sleep  at  Waikiki.” 

One  of  the  most  noted  spots  on  the  island  of  Oahu  is  the  historic  Pali, 
that  rugged  pass  in  the  Waianae  range  where,  in  the  last  great  battle  of 
the  early  Hawaiians,  the  ill-fated  Oahuans  met  their  tragic  fate  from  the 
triumphant  warriors  of  Kamehameha  the  Conqueror.  This  famous  place  is 
reached  from  Honolulu  by  a wide,  well-worn  road  leading  through  the 
most  beautiful  dale  on  the  island,  Nuuanu  Valley.  Over  this  broad  way  in 
the  shifting  scenes  of  the  busy  years  has  passed  many  a procession  of  his- 
torical importance : the  dusky  ranks  of  an  invading  army,  the  dazzling 
cortege  of  a triumphant  monarchy,  the  trooping  throng  of  women  and 
children  carrying  their  lets  to  the  coronation  of  kings,  the  noisy  mob  of 
insurrectionists,  the  funeral  of  the  dead  monarch  marching  silently  to  the 
royal  mausoleum,  the  sad-eyed  columns  of  foreign  labourers,  with  hopeless 
homes  behind  and  homeless  hopes  ahead,  the  standard  bearers  of  a new 
government,  — all  these,  with  many  others,  natives  and  strangers,  have 
passed  along  Nuuanu  Avenue. 

The  traveller  to-day  over  this  memorable  route  passes  a long  line  of 
summer  villas,  — it  is  always  summer  in  Nuuanu  \ alley,  — crosses  the 


162 


THE  FAR  EAST. 


bridge  spanning  the  brawling  stream  running  from  the  mountain  to 
the  sea,  passes  a landscape  touched  with  the  skill  of  Japanese  artists, 
passes  gray-walled  cemeteries  where  sleep  the  dead  of  the  pioneers  of 
Honolulu,  and  the  royal  mausoleum,  where  the  funereal  cypress  bows  in 
grief  over  the  long  sleep  of  kings  more  generous  than  wise,  passes  the 
odd,  grotesque-looking  tea-houses  of  the  Chinese,  passes  the  summer  palace 
of  the  ill-treated  Dowager  Queen  Emma,  set  back  beyond  rows  of  stately 
palms,  passes  taro  patches  and  banana  plantations,  and  large  pineapple 
fields  in  the  distance,  to  find  himself  at  last  fairly  in  the  country. 


queen’s  hospital. 


Now  he  passes  less  frequently  the  homes  of  the  foreigners,  the  American, 
the  European,  and  the  Asiatic,  the  walls  and  wide  verandas  of  whose  dwell- 
ings are  overhung  with  trailing  vines  and  flowering  plants.  If  he  is  an 
American  he  is  struck  by  the  unvarying  architecture  of  the  houses,  which 
seem  to  him  a combination  of  the  New  England  and  Southern  styles  of 
building,  by  the  absence  of  chimneys,  and  the  ever  open  doors  and  windows. 
He  soon  learns  to  tell  at  sight  the  home  of  a Portuguese  by  the  grape-vine 
and  fig-tree  before  his  door,  as  if  the  owner  would  not  feel  at  home  without 
these  reminders  of  his  fatherland.  A native  cottage,  the  frame  house 
introduced  by  the  missionaries,  — few  grass  huts  being  seen  now,  more’s 
the  pity  — occasionally  greets  his  vision,  a taro  patch  and  bed  of  carna- 


HAWAII. 


163 


tions  — red,  pink,  and  white  — defining  his  nationality  as  surely  as  the 
fig  and  vine  bespeaks  that  of  his  foreign  neighbour. 

Around  these  dwellings  are  seen  the  Kanaka,  the  native  Hawaiian,  in 
hi  s coarse  cotton  shirt  and  trousers,  his  ivaihine  mare , wife,  in  her  bright- 
coloured  calico  holokus  falling  loosely  from  a yoke  at  the  shoulder  and 
without  girdle  or  gathering.  Thus  simply  and  singly  attired  she  might  be 
thought  to  be  unattractive,  but  with  her  profusion  of  raven  hair,  tied  with 
a gay  bandelet  of  feathers  and  ohia  blossoms,  softly  expressive  dark  eyes, 
pleasant  countenance,  erect 
figure,  graceful  and  steady 
carriage,  she  commands  the 
admiration  of  the  beholder. 

The  young  waihine,  woman, 
a dazzling  vision  of  sparkling 
eyes,  pearly  teeth,  bright  llow- 
ers,  and  bare  legs,  is  never 
more  happy  than  when,  astride 
of  her  flying  pony,  she  startles 
the  timid  stranger  with  her 
boldness  of  address,  her  volup- 
tuous bust  rounding  in  grace- 
ful curves,  her  undaunted  head 
bound  with  a brilliant  bandeau, 
a riding-robe  of  orange  or  crim- 
son  encircling  her  waist,  hips, 
and  limbs,  and  thence  sus- 
pended waving  on  each  side  like  triumphal  banners  in  token  of  con- 
fident victory,  as  she  dashes  past  as  free  and  fleet  as  the  trade-wind 
fanning  her  brow.  Saturday  afternoon  is  the  time  usually  given  over  to 
the  wild  spell  of  horsemanship.  Then  the  whole  native  population  seems 
to  be  on  horse. 

Gradually  ascending,  the  road  leads  into  the  region  of  perpetual  showers, 
clothing  the  brown  sods  of  the  hillsides  with  a dense  sward  outrivalling  for 
freshness  and  tenderness  the  famed  blue  grass  of  Kentucky,  and  decorating 
the  vales  with  matchless  ferns,  whose  long  fronds  are  tipped  with  a rich 
red,  brown,  and  crimson.  Now  the  rank  grass  and  ferns  yield  to  forests  of 


PRINCESS  KAIULANI  IN  NATIONAL  COSTUME. 


164 


TIIE  FAR  EAST. 


wild  banana,  guava,  and  candlenut,  with  occasionally  a cocoa-palm.  The 
walls  of  the  valley  grow  higher,  steeper,  and  narrower.  Waterfalls  tumble 
headlong  over  perpendicular  chasms,  and  the  chill  wind  that  constantly 
fans  the  peaks  strikes  the  newcomer,  sending  a shiver  through  his  frame 
for  the  first  time  since  landing  on  Oahu’s  shore.  He  has  now  been 
suddenly  transported  to  the  temperate  zone. 

Many  have  described  the 
beauty  and  sublimity  of  the 
scene  from  the  Pali,  many 
more  will  attempt  it,  but  hu- 
man powers  of  description  will 
never  exhaust  the  theme  or  do 
credit  to  the  wide  panorama 
of  tropical  plains,  valleys, 
mountains,  forests,  rocky  pin- 
nacles, and  sunny  sea  laid  at 
the  feet  of  the  admiring  be- 
holder. The  Pali,  which  is 
simply  a Hawaiian  word  for 
precipice,  is  the  natural  gate- 
way between  the  two  sections 
of  Oahu,  separated  by  the 
mountain  range  running  across 
the  island  from  shore  to  shore. 
This  is  seen  as  the  approach- 
ing traveller  winds  up  the  wide 
road,  with  its  rocky  wall  along 
the  west  side,  the  perpendicu- 
lar cliff  on  the  other  hand. 
Through  this  gorge  the  wind  constantly  rushes  as  if  propelled  by  a pair  of 
mighty  bellows  hung  somewhere  beyond,  and  he  is  glad  to  seek  the 
protection  of  the  small  lookout  erected  at  the  summit.  Honolulu  now 
lies  a thousand  feet  below,  and  between  five  and  six  miles  away ; 
its  grove-like  retreat  of  homes  and  churches  and  public  buildings,  the 
masts  of  the  ships  in  its  harbour,  and  that  always-to-be-seen  Diamond 
Head  are  just  distant  enough  to  lend  charm  to  their  fair  environments. 


I.AVA  PILE. 


HAWAII. 


165 


Other  towns  and  hamlets,  other  church  spires  and  schoolhouses,  rice 
and  sugar  plantations,  isolated  dwellings,  broad  plains  covered  with 
their  growing  crops,  ridges  of  smaller  hills,  with  dales  between,  said  to 
have  been  the  beds  of  an  inland  sea,  and  far  beyond,  meeting  the 
horizon,  where  the  vision  ends,  rests  the  ocean,  looking  like  a lir.ge  mirror. 

Upon  turning  in  the  opposite  direction,  toward  Windward  Oahu,  the 
sightseer  is  amazed  at  the  vivid  contrast  in  the  vistas.  Instead  of  the 
pretty  villages  and  metropolis  of  men,  the  numerous  plantations  and 


STREET  IN  HONOLULU.  ROYAL  FUNERAL  PROCESSION. 


scattered  dwellings  of  thrifty  husbandmen,  green-clad  plains  and  verdant 
valleys,  he  gazes  on  an  extensive  domain  of  unreclaimed  lands,  of  frag- 
mentary mountains  whose  splintered  pinnacles  pierce  the  overarching 
sky,  and  half-hidden  ravines  running  back  into  the  rugged  heights, 
narrowed  to  points  like  so  many  huge  wedges  driven  by  some  giant  hand 
to  hold  the  ridges  apart,  that  there  might  be  room  at  their  feet  for  the 
lowlands  belting  the  shore.  It  is  seen  now  that  Oahu  is  composed  of 
two  dissimilar  parts,  its  sunshine  and  its  shadow.  Amid  this  broken  fast- 
ness a sugar  plantation  is  occasionally  seen,  here  and  there  the  black 
stack  of  a sugar  mill,  a village  or  two,  isolated  homes  of  adventurous 


166 


TIIE  FAR  EAST. 


fortune-seekers,  nearer  the  coast  the  few  rice  fields  of  ambitious  Chinamen, 
but  on  the  whole  man  has  done  little  to  break  in  upon  the  solitude  of 
nature.  Beyond  this  wild,  mountainous  country  the  coral  reefs  of  the 
placid  Pacific,  its  ultramarine  of  mid-ocean  in  the  shallow  waters  of 
the  Hawaiian  seas  becoming  an  emerald  hue,  glimmer  faintly  in  the 
vanishing  light. 

The  descent  into  this  shadowland  is  abrupt,  the  road  winding  down  at 
an  angle  of  forty-five  degrees.  The  tourist  gladly  turns  back  from  whence 
he  came,  and  no  longer  doubts  the  frenzy  of  the  doomed  warriors  whose 
wild  retreat  over  the  Pali  gave  the  spot  such  a tragic  interest. 

Next  to  Honolulu,  the  most  important  towns  on  the  island  are  Kanehoe, 
at  the  foot  of  the  Pali,  the  largest  village  on  Windward  Oahu,  and  con- 
siderably cooler  than  at  the  capital  city ; Waianae,  nestling  at  the  base 
of  the  mountains  in  a narrow  valley  on  the  southwest  coast ; Waialua,  a 
large  and  prosperous  village  at  the  north  end  of  the  plain  of  that  name ; 
and  last,  but  not  least,  Pearl  City,  nineteen  miles  from  Honolulu  by  rail, 
and  the  rival  of  that  fair  city  in  its  beautiful  setting  of  tropical  verdure. 
This  town,  founded  by  the  Oahu  Land  and  Railroad  Company,  and 
belted  on  the  north  by  a fertile  strip  of  level  land  extending  back  to  Ewa 
Plains,  now  famous  for  the  big  Ewa  sugar  plantation,  stands  on  a penin- 
sula which  extends  into  the  harbour  that  may  be  considered  the  best  in 
the  world  as  soon  as  it  has  been  properly  dredged.  It  was  here  the  United 
States  secured  such  valuable  rights  in  1875.  Pearl  City  has  long  been  a 
favourite  resort  for  boating,  bathing,  and  fishing,  and  is  destined  to  rival 
its  sister  only  twelve  miles  distant  by  water  line. 

Above  all  else,  this  place  and  Honolulu  lend  to  the  Hawaiian  Islands 
their  real  value  as  a possession  to  any  country.  Already  the  rapid  in- 
crease of  population  on  the  Pacific  slopes  of  America  has  set  the  tide  of 
navigation  toward  that  shore ; with  the  United  States  controlling  the 
Philippines  and  the  Nicaragua  Canal  a reality,  who  can  foretell  the  vast 
amount  of  ocean  traffic  in  this  direction  ? However  great  its  growth  or 
mighty  its  power,  Hawaii  will  still  remain,  as  it  is  to-day,  the  one  great 
strategic  point  and  half-way  station  between  the  continents,  the  arbiter 
that  shall  control  and  guide  the  commerce  of  the  Northern  Pacific.  With 
her  important  interests  at  home  and  abroad,  her  capital  will  soon  be  not 
only  “ Mistress  of  the  Pacific,”  but  Empress  of  the  maritime  world. 


CHAPTER  XY. 


GRIM  MOLOKAI. 

THE  Garden  of  Eden  had  its  serpent,  and  a shadow  fell  across  the 
path  of  man  even  in  that  fairy-land.  The  modern  Adam  is  not 
always  satisfied  with  seeing  only  the  bright  side  of  the  picture,  and 
he  must  look  for  the  darker  colouring.  He  imagines  there  is  a shadow 
somewhere,  — a skeleton  in  the  closet.  Hawaii’s  skeleton  is  the  leper  ; 
its  closet  grim  Molokai. 

Though  he  really  hears  less  of  them  after  reaching  the  islands  than  he 
had  before  coming,  the  newcomer  feels  that  it  is  his  duty  to  visit  that 
dark  corner  holding  the  banished  victims  of  an  incurable  disease.  It  is 
not  as  easy  as  he  had  expected  to  obtain  passage  to  the  out-of-the-way 
place.  It  is  true  the  Board  of  Health  make  a semi-annual  trip,  but  only 
those  in  the  secret  know  when  it  is  to  be  made.  The  object  of  this 
is  not  to  be  overcrowded  with  a mob  of  curious  foreigners  or  natives  who 
have  friends  and  relatives  there.  Having,  through  some  special  influence, 
gained  permission  to  accompany  one  of  these  parties,  he  is  likely  then  to 
find  a stormy  passage,  as  if  it  were  not  intended  that  the  lonely  spot 
should  be  easy  of  access. 

The  history  of  leprosy  on  the  islands  begins  in  1853,  when,  in  addition 
to  other  epidemics  and  evils  thrust  upon  the  inoffensive  Hawaiians,  a 
new  disease  appeared  among  them,  which  they  named  Mai  Pake,  or 
Chinese  sickness,  as  it  had  been  brought  to  the  islands  by  some  Chinamen. 
In  the  poor  condition  of  their  blood,  this  new  disorder  soon  gained  a start- 
ling hold  on  the  native  population,  so  that  as  early  as  1864  it  had  spread 
to  an  alarming  extent.  Januar}^  3,  1865,  the  Legislature  passed  an  act 
to  have  those  afflicted  with  the  dread  disease  taken  from  the  midst  of 
others  who  had  so  far  escaped  its  contaminations.  This  necessitated  the 
breaking  up  and  separation  of  families,  but  it  would  enable  those  suffering 
from  it  to  be  better  treated,  and  it  was  hoped  to  stop  in  a measure  the 

167 


1G8 


THE  FAR  EAST. 


spread  of  the  complaint,  for,  singularly  enough,  the  natives  showed  no 
fear  of  it,  but  persisted  in  mingling  freely  with  their  afflicted  kin. 

A peninsula  containing  some  live  thousand  acres,  on  the  north  coast  of 
Molokai,  was  selected  as  the  most  fitting  place  to  carry  out  the  really 
humane  purpose  of  the  government.  This  comprised  the  fertile  valley  of 
Kalawao,  surrounded  on  three  sides  by  the  open  sea,  and  on  the  other  by 
a steep  pali  from  two  to  three  thousand  feet  in  height,  so  that  retreat  was 
cut  off  in  every  direction. 


LANDING  CATTLE. 


The  enforcement  of  the  law  for  the  segregation  of  lepers  created  no 
little  trouble  for  the  authorities.  Having  no  fear  of  catching  it,  the  inhabi- 
tants did  not  take  kindly  to  the  idea  of  having  their  loved  ones  separated 
from  them,  and  they  did  everything  they  could,  in  many  cases,  to  baffle 
the  officers.  Others  went  willingly,  and  in  many  instances  gladly,  for  it 
meant  support  for  them  and  a certain  release  from  work. 

There  are  many  pathetic  tales  told  concerning  the  enforcement  of  the 
law.  On  the  island  of  Kauai  a very  beautiful  Hawaiian  girl  was  found  to 
be  afflicted  with  the  fearful  scourge,  and  it  was  decided  best  to  take  her 
to  the  leper  colony.  But  this  doomed  maid  had  a lover,  who  stoutly 


OLD  TRACK  TO  THE  VOLCANO  FROM  HILO. 


HAWAII. 


169 


remonstrated  against  this  course,  and,  in  his  desperation  to  save  his  loved 
one  from  such  a fate,  he  fled  with  her  to  the  fastness  of  the  forest.  Find- 
ing themselves  pursued  by  some  officers,  this  couple  ascended  one  of  the 
highest  palis,  and,  locked  in  each  other’s  arms,  leaped  to  death  on  the  rocks 
below.  Their  mangled  bodies  were  buried  in  one  grave.  There  is  still 
at  large  upon  this  island  a leper  man,  on  whose  head  is  offered  a large 
bounty  to  him  who  can  effect  his  capture.  Defying  those  who  have 
hunted  him,  this  hapless  victim  of  an  incurable  malady  has  killed  several 
men  who  have  attempted  to 
take  him  to  Molokai.  Those 
who  have  seen  him  lately  say 
that  ere  long  he  will  be  obliged 
to  yield  to  that  disease  whose 
power  is  greater  and  more  ter- 
rible than  man’s. 

Another  story  is  of  a little 
child,  whose  parents  were  be- 
lieved to  be  in  good  health,  but 
who  was  pronounced  to  have 
the  fatal  disease.  In  this  case 
the  officials  could  do  no  better 
than  to  order  that  she  be  taken 
to  the  leper  colony.  The  dis- 
tracted mother  would  not  listen 
to  this,  and  she  plead  so  piti- 
fully that  a respite  of  three 
weeks  was  allowed,  at  the  end 
of  which  the  little  girl  must  be  removed.  Thereupon  the  mother  prayed 
that  her  darling  Maunoa  might  die  before  the  end  of  the  time,  and  though 
no  one  accused  her  of  harming  the  child,  she  began  to  fail  soon  after,  and 
on  the  morning  the  officers  came  for  her  she  lay  dead  in  her  distracted 
mother’s  arms.  The  little  one  was  buried  close  to  the  parents’  door,  and 
the  mother  watched  the  grave  as  tenderly  as  she  had  in  life  watched  over 
the  child.  It  was  not  long  before  she  discovered  that  she  was  afflicted 
with  the  same  malady.  As  long  as  she  could  she  kept  her  secret  from 
others,  but  the  day  finally  came  when  she  was  told  that  she  must  go  to 


170 


THE  FAR  EAST. 


Molokai.  Threatened  with  a separation  from  home  and  the  little  grave 
dearer  to  her  than  all  else,  she  resisted  stoutly,  when  the  officers  came  to 
carry  out  their  intentions.  It  was  said  that  she  burst  a blood-vessel  in  the 
frantic  resistance ; but  be  it  that,  or  grief  and  terror,  she  dropped  dead  on 
the  mound  covering  her  child,  and  was  buried  beside  her. 

The  rich  sought  to  buy  oft’  the  officials,  and  no  doubt  often  did  for  a 
time,  and  the  poor  sought  concealment,  and  resorted  to  desperate  means 
rather  than  yield,  so  it  was  little  wonder  if  the  enforcement  of  the  law 
wras  not  all  that  it  should  have  been. 

The  example  set  by  a learned  and  influential  Hawaiian  named  Bill  Rags- 
dale did  more  than  anything  else  to  show  the  natives  the  good  intentions 
of  the  government,  and  caused  many  afterward  to  submit  with  a good 
grace  to  the  inevitable.  Ragsdale  was  a lawyer,  rich,  and  of  great  influ- 
ence in  public  affairs,  with  a most  flattering  future,  when  he  realised  that 
he  was  a leper.  No  one  else  had  discovered  it,  and  in  his  position  he 
might  have  evaded  the  law  for  several  years.  Instead  of  doing  that,  he 
voluntarily  gave  himself  up  to  the  authorities,  after  having  bade  adieu  to 
friends  and  relatives,  all  of  whom  tried  to  persuade  him  from  his  course. 
He  had  great  influence  among  his  race,  though  he  was  part  white,  and 
when  they  witnessed  his  unselfish  act  it  had  a beneficial  effect  on  others. 
The  name  of  Bill  Ragsdale  at  once  became  a term  of  respect  and  endear- 
ment. This  man  was  for  a time  governor  of  Kalawao,  and  many  of  the 
improvements  for  the  comfort  and  the  beauty  of  the  colony  are  due  to 
him. 

Another  name  loved  and  revered  by  the  unfortunates  of  Molokai  is 
that  of  Father  Damien,  a native  of  Belgium,  born  in  1841,  who,  hearing 
of  the  suffering  and  hopeless  condition  of  the  lepers,  went  to  Kalawao  in 
1873,  to  devote  the  balance  of  his  life  to  their  well  being.  Every  one  be- 
lieved then  that  leprosy  was  infectious,  and  he  expected  to  have  the  dread 
disease  soon  or  late,  but  he  went  about  his  task  with  a calm  resignation 
as  to  duty.  He  not  only  ministered  to  their  spiritual  welfare,  but  he 
dressed  their  horrible  wounds,  amputated  diseased  parts,  sat  by  their 
bedsides,  and  even  helped  to  dig  their  graves,  ever  living  in  the  terribly 
tainted  atmosphere.  He  lived  among  them  ten  years  before  he  contracted 
the  disease,  and  he  died  in  1889,  mourned  by  every  person  who  had 
known  him. 


HAWAII. 


171 


Lepers  are  not  great  sufferers  as  a rule,  and  they  meet  their  fate  with 
an  indifference  which  is  melancholy.  The  average  life  at  Kalawao  is 
four  years.  Women  are  less  likely  to  have  it  than  men,  and  it  is  swifter 
in  its  results  with  children  than  with  grown  people.  Sometimes  those  not 
afflicted  are  allowed  to  accompany  friends  there.  Women  have  married 
leper  husbands,  and  children  have  been  born  of  such  unions  that  showed 
no  signs  of  the  disease.  Leprosy  is  not  as  contagious  as  it  was  at  first 
supposed,  still  it  is  not  well 
understood  even  after  all  the 
investigation  that  has  been 
made.  But  under  the  pres- 
ent enforcement  of  the  law, 
and  the  efficient  work  done 
by  the  Board  of  Health,  its 
spread  has  been  pretty  thor- 
oughly checked,  and  but  few 
afflicted  with  it  are  now  at 
large.  In  time  it  is  believed 
that  the  last  will  be  found 
and  the  terrible  scourge 
stamped  out. 

There  are  now  at  Kala- 
wao eleven  hundred  cases,  all 
but  fifty  being  Hawaiians. 

Thirty-two  of  the  balance  be- 
long to  the  Chinese  race,  and 
the  rest  are  whites,  who  were 
mostly  dissipated  persons.  It  costs  the  government  about  a hundred 
dollars  each  annually  to  care  for  these  charges,  everything  being  done 
that  can  be  for  their  comfort  and  welfare.  There  are  Protestant,  Roman 
Catholic,  and  Mormon  churches,  a Young  Men’s  Christian  Association 
Building,  schools,  reading-rooms  and  libraries,  besides  dwellings  built  by 
government  and  wealthy  inhabitants  of  the  place. 

With  the  improved  methods  and  careful  study  given  to  the  disease,  the 
white  population  of  the  islands  have  no  fear  of  it,  and  the  visitor  might 
travel  the  country  over  without  seeing  any  evidence  of  it,  until  he  found 


172 


THE  FAR  EAST. 


it  in  his  way  to  go  to  Molokai’s  lonely  north  peninsula.  Few  of  those  who 
nave  visited  this  dark  corner  of  the  Island  Paradise  have  come  away 
without  feeling  they  have  been  paid  for  their  pains,  and  yet  having  no 
desire  to  repeat  the  experience. 

Molokai  ( Ania  Pali  in  the  native  tongue)  means  “ Land  of  Precipices,” 
and  no  truer  definition  was  ever  given  a name.  The  island  is  formed  by 
a chain  of  volcanic  mountains  forty  miles  in  length  by  seven  in  width. 
The  lofty  heights  are  broken  by  deep  ravines  and  gorges,  down  many  of 
which  are  swift-flowing  streams.  Still  nearly  a third  of  the  entire  area, 
comprising  the  west  end,  is  desolate  of  vegetation,  and  will  remain  so 
until  given  a more  plentiful  supply  of  water.  The  larger  portion  of  the 
population  live  on  a narrow  strip  of  coast  land  along  the  southern  shore ; 
but  this  fertile  land  is  too  dry  to  afford  many  kinds  of  vegetation,  so  that 
the  people  have  to  cultivate  the  uplands  to  get  food.  On  the  whole,  aside 
from  its  unpleasant  reputation  as  the  home  of  a leprous  population, 
though  imported,  it  is  the  least  promising  of.  the  seven  Hawaiian  Islands. 


LAVA  LAKK. 


PACIFIC  INSTITUTE. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

riCTURESQUE  MAUI. 

THE  tourist,  arriving  at  Honolulu  and  wishing  to  visit  the  larger 
islands  and  their  principal  points  of  interest,  finds  that  he  has  the 
choice  of  two  routes,  with  their  variations.  One  of  these,  after  tak- 
ing him  along  the  lee  side  of  Molokai  and  between  that  island  and  Lanai, 
touches  at  Lahaina.  Not  only  the  capital  and  principal  town  of  Maui,  this 
place  was  once  the  metropolis  of  the  islands,  when  kings  had  their  palaces 
and  foreign  consuls  their  courts  here,  when  whale-ships  filled  its  harbour, 
and  its  single  wide  street  was  thronged  with  the  armed  retainers  of  royalty, 
and  its  broad,  sandy  beach  alive  with  many  races  of  people.  The  moun- 
tains, with  their  bare,  brown  slopes,  crowd  down  close  to  the  sea  here,  so 
close  that  the  village  is  composed  of  but  one  street  overhung  with  groves 
of  cocoanuts,  tamarinds,  oranges,  and  breadfruits.  Lahaina  has  changed 

173 


174 


THE  FAR  EAST. 


only,  since  those  halcyon  days  of  royalty  and  commerce,  in  a backward 
course,  and  like  Mount  Eka,  which  long  since  lost  its  fiery  vigour,  it  has 
gone  to  sleep.  But  this  slumber  is  now  being  broken  by  the  sugar  in- 
dustry, which  is  rapidly  giving  a new  life  to  the  antiquated  place,  proving 
over  and  again  how  the  fickle  hand  of  business  guides  the  destiny  of  toAvns 
as  well  as  men.  But  the  stop  of  the  steamer  is  short  here,  and  we  leave 
the  old  town  in  its  dreams — 

“ Where  the  wave  tumbles, 

Where  the  reef  rumbles, 

Where  the  sea  sweeps, 

Under  bendiug  palm  branches. 

“ Where  the  hills  smoulder, 

Where  the  plains  smoke, 

Where  the  peaks  shoulder 
The  clouds  like  a yoke; 

Where  the  dear  isle 
Has  a charm  to  beguile, 

As  she  lays  in  the  lap 
Of  the  sea  that  enfolds  her.” 

Leaving  Lahaina,  the  steamer  coasts  along  the  southern  shore,  soon 
passing  under  the  lee  of  the  western  highlands,  presenting  a landscape  that 
cannot  be  excelled  by  any  other  in  the  world,  overtopped  by  Mount  Eka 
wrapped  in  its  lava  cloak,  grim  and  silent,  thence  across  the  watery  inlet 
which  nearly  makes  two  of  the  island.  Keeping  close  in  to  the  shore  of 
East  Maui,  where  the  mountains  protect  the  coast  from  the  trade-winds, 
the  dreary  little  village  of  Ulupalakua  is  reached.  Here  those  who  wish 
to  make  a trip  to  Haleakala,  “ The  House  of  the  Sun,”  leave  the  steamer. 
Rising  ten  thousand  feet  into  the  air,  and  having  a crater  thirty  miles 
in  circumference,  this  exhausted  monster,  with  a pit  2,700  feet  deep, 
is  almost  capable  of  swallowing  Vesuvius  entire,  while  from  its  inte- 
rior rise  cones  of  scoriae  to  heights  which  dwarf  St.  Paul’s  Cathedral. 
The  poetical  Stoddard  declared  that  a trip  to  its  summit  was  “ a horse- 
back journey  to  heaven,”  while  another,  less  pleased  with  the  result, 
turns  away,  declaring  that  “it  should  be  called  the  Tomb,  and  not  the 
House  of  the  Sun,  and  that  volcanoes  have  no  business  to  be  dead !” 

Next  leaving  the  rocky  islet  of  Molikini  to  the  southeast,  and  farther  off 


HAWAII. 


175 


in  the  same  direction  Kahoolawe,  the  course  is  across  Alalakeiki  Channel, 
where  the  trade-wind  rushes  as  if  through  a flume,  to  Upolu  Point,  the 
northern  extremity  of  the  island  of  Hawaii.  Back  of  this  port  — more 
properly  speaking  roadstead  — stretch  extensive  cane  fields,  through 
which  runs  a line  of  railroad. 

Coasting  along  this  shore  in  a southerly  course,  this  region  of  rich  ver- 
dure is  soon  exchanged  for  the  barren,  rainless  land  of  Lee  Hawaii. 
Twenty  miles  of  this  passage,  and  the  steamer  enters  the  little  Bay  of 


CHASM  OPENED  AFTER  COLLAPSE  OF  LAVA  CRUST. 


Kawaihe,  which  name  has  the  very  poetical  definition  of  “ torn  water.” 
It  is  evening,  and  the  southern  moon,  climbing  the  distant  mountains, 
throws  far  and  wide  over  the  placid  sea  her  soft,  purple  beams,  while 
Hualalai,  a stark,  brown  dome  against  the  sky,  casts  his  ten  thousand  feet 
of  shadows  over  the  checkered  landscape.  This  volcano  has  shown  no 
signs  of  life  since  1805,  when  it  seemed  to  have  spent  its  final  fury. 
Standing  on  an  eminence  overlooking  the  coast  remains  an  evidence  of 
paganism  in  the  last  heiau  built  on  the  islands,  done  at  the  command  of 
Kamehameha  I.,  in  1791.  This  structure,  one  of  the  best  specimens  of  its 
kind,  has  walls  a dozen  feet  thick  at  the  base,  ten  feet  high  on  the  upper 


176 


THE  FAR  EAST. 


side  and  double  that  on  the  lower,  — a rude  parallelogram  a hundred  feet 
wide  and  over  two  hundred  feet  in  length. 

The  next  anchorage  is  not  found  until  historic  Kailua,  the  ancient  capi- 
tal of  the  islands,  standing  by  a bay  of  that  name,  is  reached,  when  the 
sun  has  replaced  the  moon,  and  the  mellow  atmosphere  of  a Hawaiian 
dawn  makes  clear  the  scene.  Bordered  by  a rim  of  feathery  palms  and 
set  with  an  A-shaped  cluster  of  cottages,  this  place  presents  an  odd  mixture 
of  bygone  days  and  modern  times.  Here  is  another  reminder  of  Kame- 

hameha  the  Great,  — an  old 
fort-like  building  made  of  mud 
and  lava.  Once  surrounded  by 
hideous  idols,  tabu  staffs,  and 
grotesque  wooden  images,  in- 
tended to  awe  the  ignorant 
masses,  it  was  here  the  old 
religion  had  its  headquarters, 
and  here  the  tabus  were  first 
broken  by  his  son,  Liholiho, 
upon  whom  the  influence  of 
women  was  stronger  than 
priestly  power.  The  gods  set 
at  defiance,  the  destruction  of 
the  idols  and  temples  followed, 
amid  the  consternation  of  the 
people.  In  memory  of  the 
wild  deeds  done  within  its 
sacred  precinct,  the  ruins  are 
known  as  the  “Place  of  Ghosts,”  where  no  one  with  ever  so  slight  a linger- 
ing of  the  old  faith  sets  foot  after  nightfall.  In  later  years  Kalakaua  had 
his  country  residence  here,  the  royal  mansion  being  now  the  property  of 
the  dowager  queen  Kapiolani.  A presentation  in  more  ways  than  one  of 
former  days,  the  walls  of  this  spacious  house  have  echoed  to  the  semi-bar- 
barous merriment  of  the  profligate  king’s  noted  laaus  and  hulas,  witnessed 
by  the  nobility  seated  in  the  rows  of  famous  red  chairs.  In  marked  juxta- 
position to  this  abode  of  a monarch  who  was  not  unwilling  to  see  the 
ancient  customs  revived,  stands  the  oldest  Christian  church  on  the  islands. 


OAHU  PRISON. 


HAWAII. 


177 


Built  of  lava  blocks,  some  of  which  had  been  hewn  by  one  of  the  ancient 
kings  of  Hawaii  as  the  corner-stones  of  a pagan  temple,  this  house  of  mod- 
ern worship  is  bare  and  desolate  enough  to  have  suited  the  most  austere  of 
Puritan  worshippers.  It  requires  no  grievous  strain  of  the  imagination  to 
transport  one  back  to  the  scenes  of  the  early  missionaries  and  their  odd 
congregation  of  uncivilised  listeners  who  had  but  a faint  inkling  of  the 
new  creed  they  professed  to  accept.  The  church  is  now  under  charge  of  a 
native  pastor.  But  it  is  not  so 
much  as  a religious  seat  that 
Kailua  is  noted  to-day.  The 
coffee  industry  is  the  prevail- 
ing element,  and  a large  coffee 
mill  is  seen,  the  most  noticeable 
of  modern  buildings.  Terms  of 
the  Circuit  Court  are  held  here. 

Kealakekua  Bay,  famous  for 
its  associations  with  the  name 
of  Captain  Cook,  is  the  best 
anchorage  on  the  western  and 
southern  coasts.  A steep  pali, 
honeycombed  with  the  burial 
caverns  of  the  Hawaiians,  a 
rude  Polynesian  catacomb, 
forms  the  background  of  the 
scene  here.  In  plain  sight  of 
the  shore  is  the  white  shaft 
which  marks  the  place  where 
the  Great  Navigator  paid  the 
price  of  his  perfidy  to  the  native  race,  and  a quarter  of  a mile  distant  are 
the  ruins  of  the  lieiau  of  Kiki  Au,  where  he  received  the  homage  due  a 
god. 

Above  the  narrow  coast  rim  are  great  coffee  plantations,  which  get 
their  supplies  largely  at  Napaupau,  across  the  bay  from  Kealakekua. 
A little  lower  down  the  coast  is  another  ancient  place  of  modern  in- 
terest, Honaunau,  the  old  city  of  refuge.  It  was  here  that  criminals 
and  fugitives  from  any  and  every  cause  fled  for  safety  in  the  trouble- 


178 


THE  FAR  EAST. 


some  days  of  yore.  Hawaii  had  two  of  these  places,  planned  very 
much  as  those  of  the  Hebrew  Scripture.  The  other  was  on  the  wind- 
ward side  of  the  island,  at  famous  Waipio,  the  one-time  seat  of  royal 
dynasty,  that  of  the  renowned  Kilii  line  of  kings.  These  cities  of  ref- 
uge were  walled  towns  and  the  pagan  idea  of  a court  of  justice.  Idols 
were  set  around  the  enclosure  and  guards  stationed  round  about,  but 
who  ever  was  fortunate  enough  to  gain  their  shelter  was  safe.  After  a 
certain  time  passed  within,  he  was  supposed  to  be  innocent  of  any  crime, 
and  given  his  liberty.  There  was  an  old  saying  that  “ all  roads  led  to 
Honaunau,”  which  fact  is  pretty  well  attested  to-day  by  the  many  paths 
and  roads  winding  out  into  the  country  above. 

Still  farther  south,  defying  with  its  solid  front  several  miles  in  breadth 
the  stormy  sea,  stands  Lepeampa  Rock.  This  hard  lava  stone  bed  extends 
back  from  the  shore  for  nearly  a mile  before  it  becomes  invested  with 
a soil  of  sufficient  depth  to  bear  the  oliia,  the  pioneer  of  Hawaiian  vegeta- 
tion. Two  miles  from  the  seaside  are  forests  of  large  trees,  made  impene- 
trable by  an  undergrowth  of  reeking  vines  and  towering  ferns,  the 
density  of  the  growth  showing  where  the  mountains  have  wrung  more 
than  an  equal  share  of  the  moisture  from  the  clouds. 

The  volcano,  always  an  objective  point  to  the  tourist,  can  be  reached  by 
a road  at  Honuapo,  on  the  southeastern  coast,  and  reached  after  the  mari- 
ner has  doubled  the  Cape  Horn  of  Hawaii,  Ka  lae,  and  made  a long 
stretch  of  coast  exposed  to  winds  and  high  swells.  From  thence  to 
Hilo,  the  general  destination  of  all  steamers,  the  shore  is  precipitous, 
and  above  that  city  it  is  even  wilder,  but  favoured  with  a generous 
foliage,  which  always  exists  in  the  tropics  where  rain  falls  plentifully. 

So  it  is  with  Hawaii  wherever  one  turns  his  footsteps,  a blending  of 
fertile  lands  and  barren  wastes,  the  first  clothed  with  a verdure  so  rank 
and  dense  as  to  be  impassable  in  its  original  state,  and  the  other  lava  beds 
requiring  the  fertilisation  of  the  atmosphere  of  centuries  to  come  before 
producing  a representative  covering  of  Hawaiian  vegetation. 

The  second  route  from  Honolulu  to  Hilo  takes  the  traveller  to  the  wind- 
ward of  Maui  and  Hawaii,  the  picturesque  side  of  the  islands.  East  and 
West  Maui  are  separated  by  a wide,  arid  plain,  where  even  the  hardy  ku- 
kui  hesitates  to  place  foot.  But  on  either  side  of  this  broad  gateway  of 
the  mountains  the  scene  swiftly  changes  to  unsurpassed  grandeur  and  sub- 


HAWAII. 


179 


limity.  In  the  midst  of  these,  embowered  in  trailing  vines  and  gorgeous 
lantanas,  are  the  clustering  roofs  of  the  sugar  planters,  scattered  far  and 
wide,  here  and  there  the  black  stack  of  some  mill,  and  on  the  line  of  the 
railroad  the  hamlet  of  houses  constituting  the  nucleus  of  civilisation.  In 
this  region  is  the  Spreckels  plantation,  the  largest  in  the  world.  In  this 
scene  is  Kahului,  an  important  port  for  the  importations  of  this  part  of  the 
island,  which  smacks  so  strongly  of  the  Orient  that  the  visitor  soon  conies 
to  think  that  he  is  in  the  homeland  of  the  Chinese  and  Japanese. 


ROOM  IN  VOLCANO  HOUSE. 


Better  than  this  picture  is  that  of  Wailuku,  — at  its  back,  the  flowering 
palis ; at  its  feet,  the  Pacific  combing  the  long  beach  with  anything  but  the 
placidity  of  its  name,  laying,  with  eternal  perseverance,  roll  after  roll  of 
snowy  fleece  on  the  sandy  shore  ; beside  it,  the  river  from  which  it  gets  its 
name,  losing  here  the  impetuosity  of  its  early  course  as  old  age  loses 
its  fiery  zeal  of  }’Outh  on  nearing  its  earthly  goal  beyond  ; that  matchless 
corridor  of  nature  filled  with  the  melody  of  waterfalls  and  the  perfume  of 
orange-flowers,  Iao  Valley;  above,  the  gray  clouds  which  give  to  this  land- 
scape its  vesture  of  fadeless  beauty,  floating  dreamily  in  the  cerulean  space. 


180 


TIIE  FAR  EAST. 


This  Mauian  valley,  which  no  tourist  fails  to  visit,  has  been  compared 
to  the  Yosemite  of  California.  This  is  unjust  to  both.  There  can  be  no 
equitable  comparison  in  the  masterpieces  of  nature.  The  entrance  to  the 
Iaoan  storehouse  of  wonders  is  through  a long,  narrow,  massive  gateway, 
whose  perpendicular  walls  finally  reach  a height  of  two  thousand  feet, 
the  roughness  of  their  masonry  concealed  by  a lacework  of  dark  green 
foliage  sparkling  with  silvery  waterfalls  flashing  from  turret  and  cornice. 
At  last  the  passage  broadens  into  a court  of  such  lonely  grandeur  and 

majesty  of  architecture  that  the 
intruder  instinctively  shrinks 
back  as  if  suddenly  brought 
into  the  presence  of  the  Om- 
nipotent Judge.  The  floor, 
laid  in  lava  blocks,  is  broken 
on  the  one  hand  by  a deep 
ravine,  through  which  flow  the 
sullen  “ Waters  of  Destruction,” 
while  on  the  other,  amid  a set- 
ting of  splintered  cliffs,  stands 
that  Iaoan  sphinx,  the  tower- 
ing Needle,  which  far  overtops 
Cleopatra’s  famous  obelisk. 

The  early  kings  of  Maui 
showed  their  apt  appreciation 
of  matters  earthly  and  immor- 
tal, when  they  selected  this  as 
their  tomb.  Many  of  the  re- 
mains of  kings  and  chiefs  have  been  found,  grim  links  connecting 
barbarism  to  civilisation.  A veritable  burial-ground  this  vast  natural 
coliseum  became  when  the  faithful  followers  of  Kahekili  the  Thunderer 
sacrificed  their  lives  on  these  rocks  rather  than  yield  to  Kamehameha 
the  Conqueror.  Not  until  the  last  soldier  had  fallen  did  the  battle  end, 
and  the  waters  of  the  Wailuku,  breaking  through  their  human  dam, 
flowed  crimson  to  the  sea.  Nowhere  in  history  is  there  a more  vivid 
association  of  the  tragic  and  the  sublime. 

But  Iao  Valley  is  as  famous  for  its  prodigal  display  of  vegetation 


VOI.CANO  HOUSE. 


HAWAII. 


181 


as  it  is  for  its  traditions  of  human  tragedy  and  natural  sublimity.  Every- 
where, even  to  its  most  rugged  battlements,  are  draperies  of  clinging 
foliage  and  festoons  of  graceful  creepers,  while  miniature  forests  of 
guavas,  overtopped  by  breadfruit-trees,  and  bordered  by  rose  fringes, 
meet  the  eye.  If  there  is  one  thing  above  all  else  in  which  it  excels, 


THE  PALI. 


it  is  in  its  display  of  ferns,  no  kind  or  species  of  which  seem  to  be 
wanting  in  this  gorgeous  wealth  of  flowers  and  foliage.  In  no  part 
of  the  Hawaiian  Islands,  famous  for  their  ferns,  are  so  many  kinds  found 
as  are  growing  here.  Who  enters  here  becomes  fern-wild.  In  the 
words  of  one  of  these  admirers : “ The  tourist  is  pretty  sure  to  forget 
everything  else  in  Hawaii.  In  vain  the  great  Pacific  rolls  before  him 


182 


THE  FAR  EAST. 


from  pole  to  pole ; lie  spies  a fern  in  the  cranny  of  the  rock,  and  have 
it  he  must.  Is  he  walking  the  high  bridge  which  spans  the  deep-flowing 
Wailuku  at  Ililo  (another  river  on  the  larger  island  by  this  same  name), 
and  are  the  deepening  shades  of  evening  lighting  up  the  summit  fires 
of  Mauna  Loa,  he  is  lost  to  the  rare  scene  if  he  but  thinks  he  sees  a 
new  fern  growing  out  of  the  trunk  of  the  old  breadfruit-tree.  All 
through  the  lively  woods  of  Puna,  or  along  the  forest  path  to  Kilauea,  his 
eyes  are  searching  the  undergrowth  for  his  peculiar  prey.  And  even 
as  he  conies  home  from  Iao  the  terrible,  the  beautiful,  the  only , for  surely 
the  world  has  no  other  valley  like  it,  his  thoughts  are  busier  with  the 
pressed  volume  of  leaves  which  he  hugs  to  his  side,  than  with  the  majesty 
and  wonder  of  the  scenery  he  has  been  contemplating.”  Still,  when  this 
innocent  bewitchery  has  flown,  when  the  ferns  have  crumbled  to  dust, 
the  mind  will  cherish  the  memory  of  that  great  natural  wonder  of  Maui, 
its  legends  and  associations  of  another  day  and  another  people. 


CRATKH  OF  KILAUEA. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


THE  ISLAND  BUILDER. 

WINDWARD  Hawaii  has  less  of  historic  interest  than  the  lee 
side  of  the  island ; but  it  is  far  richer  in  its  great  abundance  of 
natural  wealth,  which  is  accounted  for  by  the  fact  that  here 
there  is  plenty  of  rain,  while  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  mountains  the 
atmosphere  is  dry.  The  coun- 
try is  broken  and  rugged,  the 
coast  line  often  being  long 
ridges  of  rock  pushing  down  to 
the  water’s  edge,  rising  some- 
times  to  the  height  of  two  or 
three  hundred  feet. 

The  only  harbour  on  the  en- 
tire northeast  sweep  of  coast  is 
Hilo  Bay,  or  Byron  Bay,  as  it 
is  sometimes  called,  for  the 
commander  of  the  English  frig- 
ate  Blonde,  which  it  will  be  re- 
membered brought  home  the 
remains  of  Kamehameha  II. 
and  his  queen,  both  of  whom 
died  while  on  a visit  to  Eng- 
land. The  natives  named 
the  place  Waiakea,  meaning 
“ broad  water,”  and  on  the 
south  shore,  separated  from 
the  city  of  Hilo  by  a crescent-shaped  beach,  on  which  the  breaking 
surf  “ looks  like  frosted  silver,”  is  a little  village  by  that  name.  The 
bay  is  seven  miles  wide  and  three  miles  deep,  a submerged  coral  reef  run- 
ning from  Cocoanut  Island  on  the  south  to  within  half  a mile  of  the  north 

183 


PRIXCKSS  KAIULANI. 


184 


TIIE  FAR  EAST. 


side  of  the  harbour,  leaving  a passage  of  that  width  for  the  entrance  of 
vessels.  With  this  protecting  arm,  the  ships  riding  at  anchor  here  are 
still  exposed  to  the  northeast  trade-wind. 

On  the  west  shore  of  the  harbour,  on  an  inclined  plane,  amid  extensive 
groves  of  cocoanuts,  bananas,  plantains,  and  breadfruits,  with  large  sugar 
plantations  in  the  background,  stands  Hilo,  “ the  ambitious  city.”  It 
has  been  aptly  said  that  what  Honolulu  aspires  to  be  Hilo  is.  It  is  also 

the  common  expression  that 
it  rains  every  day  in  Hilo. 
If  an  occasional  day  is  missed 
it  is  certain  that  this  locality 
has  the  largest  amount  of 
rainfall  of  any  part  of  the 
islands,  and  it  is  due  to  this 
fact  that  the  country  in  this 
vicinity  is  remarkable  for 
its  verdure,  — a vegetation 
which  is  always  green. 

The  appearance  of  the 
town  is  less  American  than 
at  Honolulu,  the  architecture 
of  the  buildings  being  a sort 
of  cross  of  European  and 
Oriental  designs.  But  there 
is  nothing  sleepy  about  the 
place,  and  the  American  ele- 
ment predominates,  though 
Japanese  and  Chinese  have 
each  got  a good  hold.  It 
has  its  share  of  public  buildings,  its  churches,  its  sclioolhouses,  and  the 
largest  public  library  on  the  islands. 

At  Hilo  we  are  on  historic  ground,  and  its  ineles  take  us  back  into  the 
past  many  generations  beyond  those  of  Honolulu.  It  was  here  the  Con- 
queror had  one  of  his  early  battles  in  laying  the  foundation  for  his  con- 
quest, while  many  legends  of  the  curious  and  mysterious  beings  that 
peopled  the  superstitious  minds  of  the  Hawaiians  still  cling  to  the 


CRATER  OF  II  ALE  ARAL  A,  MAUI. 


HAWAII. 


185 


romantic  dales,  waterfalls,  palis,  and  deep-wooded  mountainsides.  Only 
a mile  from  the  town  is  Rainbow  Falls,  whose  waters  are  so  delicately 
coloured  by  the  sun’s  rays  that  the  natives  believed  a fairy  lived  in  the 
waters  clothed  in  the  variegated  hues  of  the  rainbow. 

Above  the  chain  of  sugar  plantations  flanking  Hilo,  and  extending  up 
and  down  the  coast  for  sixty 
miles,  is  a wider  band  of  open 
country,  covered  with  a cloak 
of  rank  grass ; still  above  this 
is  a yet  broader  belt  of  forest, 
whose  foliage  presents  a grad- 
ual but  marked  change  from 
the  verdure  of  the  tropics  to 
the  polar  clime,  until,  far  above, 
the  snowy  crest  of  Mauna  Kea 
stands  boldly  out  against  the 
sky. 

Hawaii  has  the  loftiest  and 
mightiest  mountains  of  any 
islands  in  the  world.  Con- 
sidered from  their  base  at  the 
bottom  of  the  Pacific,  the  two 
giants,  Mauna  Kea  and  Mauna 
Loa,  lift  their  volcanic  heads 
thirty  thousand  feet  into  the 
air,  — almost  six  miles!  The 
first  is  thirteen  thousand  and 
nine  hundred  feet  above  the 
surface  of  the  sea,  while  its 
mate  is  less  than  two  hundred  feet  its  inferior  in  height,  and  more  than 
its  equal  in  every  other  respect. 

At  Hilo  we  begin  to  get  a vivid  idea  of  the  greatest  of  island  wonders, 
the  volcanoes.  The  beauties  and  picturesque  features  of  the  flora  and 
forests,  the  palis  and  valleys,  the  waterfalls  and  coral  shores,  are  over- 
shadowed by  the  volcanic  cones  whose  fires  have  illumined  land  and  sea  for 
ages  beyond  the  computation  of  man.  Its  summit  crater,  Mokuaweoweo, 


■ 

£ • ' 


RAINBOW  FALLS,  IIILO. 


186 


tiip:  far  east. 


wrapped  in  its  trailing  vestment  of  clouds,  is  a grand  spectacle  of  volcanic 
majesty. 

Though  sleeping  now,  the  fires  of  this  volcano  are  only  banked,  and  at 
what  moment  they  may  break  forth  is  unknown.  Several  eruptions,  some 
of  which  cost  many  lives  and  great  loss  of  propert}-,  have  occurred  during 
the  present  century.  In  1832  there  was  an  overflow  lasting  four  weeks, 
and  again  in  1843  an  eruption  took  place,  when  the  lava  flowed  for  a dis- 
tance of  twenty-five  miles.  Other  eruptions  followed,  one  of  which,  after 
sending  out  its  stream  of  lava  for  a mile,  was  suddenly  checked,  the 
molten  river  disappeared  into  the  earth,  and  that  seemed  to  be  the  last  of 
it.  But  four  days  later  another  shock  shook  the  island  to  every  extremity, 


I. A V A FLOW. 


and  the  lava  stream  burst  through  the  earth  in  the  forest  of  northeastern 
Puna,  rushing  down  to  the  sea  with  terrific  power,  overwhelming  many 
people  and  destroying  the  country  as  far  as  it  reached.  In  the  Puna 
district  are  yet  to  be  seen  strange  reminders  of  the  overflows  in  the  shape 
of  lava-tree  forests.  The  molten  lava  having  covered  the  trees,  often 
to  a height  of  twenty  feet,  congealed  before  the  encased  wood  burned, 
and  now  stands  hollow  skeletons  of  the  greenwood  hundreds  of  years 
old. 

In  1850  an  immense  flow  rushed  down  between  Manna  Kea  and 
Ilualalai,  reaching  the  sea  at  Wainanalii,  a distance  of  thirty-three  miles, 
in  eight  days.  The  worst  eruption  of  which  there  is  written  record  took 
place  in  1868.  This  time  severe  earthquakes  rocked  the  whole  island  like 
a cradle,  and  the  southeast  coast  of  Puna  sank  several  feet.  A fountain 


HAWAII. 


187 


of  lava  was  thrown  upward  a thousand  feet,  which  abruptly  collapsed, 
and  the  mountain  dome  appeared  clear  against  the  sky.  Five  days  later, 
on  April  2d,  a molten  river  burst  through  a fissure  in  the  earth  just  south 
of  Hilo  with  a terrific  force  and  volume.  It  had  travelled  over  twenty 
miles  underground  before  finding  this  vent,  and  now  four  huge  fountains 
seethed  and  tossed  hissing  lava  and  rocks  tons  in  weight  high  into  the  air. 
From  this  a furious  stream  of  red  lava  — a liver  of  fire  from  two  to  eight 
hundred  feet  in  width  and  twenty  feet  deep  — swept  down  to  the  sea  at 


DESCENT  AT  LAVA  LAKE,  KILAUEA. 


a rate  of  from  fifteen  to  twenty  miles  an  hour.  Everything  in  its  pathway 
was  destroyed,  and  one  of  the  fairest  pastoral  regions  of  the  island  trans- 
formed into  a tract  of  barren  earth.  The  entire  southeastern  coast  sank 
from  four  to  six  feet,  destroying  several  villages  and  their  inhabitants. 
The  terrified  people  in  the  vicinity  fled  into  Hilo,  and  consternation 
everywhere  reigned. 

The  horrors  of  this  eruption  were  repeated  in  1881,  the  outburst  having 
begun  November  5th  the  preceding  year.  Portions  of  the  shore  sank  this 
time,  while  others  were  lifted  up ; tidal  waves  fifty  feet  in  height  swept 


188 


TIIE  FAR  EAST. 


the  coast  at  the  engulfed  places,  and  the  people  left  the  island  as  fast  as 
they  could  find  means.  Three  streams  of  lava  flowed  from  the  summit 
of  Mauna  Loa,  one  of  them  coming  within  three-fourths  of  a mile  of  Hilo. 
The  city  seemed  doomed,  and  the  vessels  for  Honolulu  were  crowded  with 
the  fugitives. 

At  this  critical  period  an  instance  occurred  which  showed  how  deeply 
were  still  fixed  the  roots  of  the  old  superstition.  Amid  the  digging  of 
trenches,  building  of  walls  to  protect  the  town,  and  the  making  of  prayers 
for  the  deliverance  of  the  people,  a surviving  sister  of  the  Kamehamehas 
Fourth  and  Fifth,  at  the  time  living  in  Honolulu,  declared  that  she  could 
check  the  wrath  of  the  goddess  of  the  volcano.  “ I will  save  the  fish-ponds 
of  Hilo,”  she  said.  “ Pele  will  not  refuse  to  listen  to  the  prayers  of  a 
Kamehameha.”  She  went  to  the  threatened  town,  and,  surrounded  by 
a large  and  anxious  crowd  of  spectators,  caused  to  be  built  an  altar  in  the 
pathway  of  the  approaching  stream.  Here  she  made  her  appeals  to  the 
goddess  Pele,  offered  her  sacrifices  to  the  lava,  and  then  returned  to  her 
home.  As  if  in  answer  to  her  commands,  the  fiery  river  ceased  its 
advance  at  once,  and  its  congealed  flood  stands  to-day  as  a wall  to  the 
Hawaiian  belief  in  the  power  of  the  gods  disowned  more  than  half  a cen- 
tury before. 

Other  examples  of  the  work  of  Mauna  Loa,  though  less  striking  than 
these  mentioned,  are  recorded,  while  tradition  kindles  with  cataracts  of 
leaping  fire  and  clouds  of  crimson  smoke  and  hissing  steam.  There  were 
years  which  had  no  days  clear  from  the  smoke  of  underground  furnaces  nor 
nights  that  were  not  lurid  with  flames.  The  Hawaiian  meles  tell  of  rivers 
of  fire  bursting  out  of  the  hot  earth  and  flinging  its  liquid  masses  over 
a pali  a thousand  feet,  in  height  to  fall  hissing  and  seething  into  the  ocean. 
A pillar  of  fire  six  hundred  feet  in  circumference  once  spouted  from  the 
crest  of  Mauna  Loa  to  a distance  of  over  a thousand  feet,  which  lasted  for 
twenty  days,  without  a night,  so  brilliant  was  the  scene  for  the  distance 
of  nearly  a hundred  miles  ! As  a monument  of  this  grand  display  a cone 
a mile  in  circumference  was  builded  on  its  summit.  Thus  has  been  builded 
by  this  master  workman  an  island,  layer  on  layer,  hill  on  hill,  from  the 
seacoast  to  the  volcanic  crest,  the  melting,  forging,  welding,  casting  out 
of  the  molten  matter  by  the  ever-living  fires  of  the  furnaces  within  the 
crater,  while  the  surcharged  products  have  been  fertilised  by  sun  and  wind, 


HAWAII. 


189 


heat  and  moisture,  until  the  naked  and  deformed  rock  has  been  clothed 
in  a tropical  verdure. 

For  an  active  example  of  the  work  of  this  mighty  island  builder  we 
have  only  to  turn  to  that  lateral  orifice  of  Mauna  Loa,  Kilauea.  With  the 
exceptions  of  the  brief  intervals  when  an  overflow  or  breaking  out  was 
taking  place  on  the  main  mountain,  this  crater  has  kept  up  a continual 
exhibition  of  its  internal  forces.  For  a period  antedating  the  known  his- 


BARKING  SANDS. 


tory  of  the  islands  this  volcano  has  been  building  within,  laying  its  founda- 
tions deep  down  in  the  sea,  thickening  and  strengthening  its  walls,  until 
to-day  this  “ House  of  Fire,”  Halemaumau,  holds  within  its  compass  the 
greatest  evidence  of  volcanic  energy  in  the  world.  Before  that  it  was 
different.  Barrier  after  barrier  must  have  been  broken  down,  and  deluge 
after  deluge  of  the  fiery  floods  flung  out  upon  the  surroundings,  until  the 
walls  had  been  lifted  four  thousand  feet  above  the  sea,  its  present  height. 
Now,  when  the  interior  has  again  been  filled  with  its  molten  mass,  and  the 
surging  waves  and  breakers  of  the  “ burning  lake  ” dash  over  the  rim  of 
the  cone,  or  become  strong  enough  to  break  down  its  wall,  again  will  the 


190 


TIIE  FAR  EAST. 


surrounding  country  be  overlaid  with  lava  deposits,  each  layer  adding  so 
much  to  the  present  height  of  the  mighty  shell.  That  this  stage  is  surely 
coming  is  foretold  by  the  gradual  rise  of  the  successive  exhibits  of  the 
“ rock-consuming  forces.” 

The  only  overflow  of  Kilauea,  so  far  as  is  known,  took  place  in  1789, 
while  the  army  of  Keoua  was  on  its  march  from  Hilo  to  meet  Kamehameha 
at  Kau  in  a decisive  battle  for  the  supremacy  of  the  island.  The  course 
taken  by  this  body  of  warriors  led  near  to  the  crater,  which  had  been  silent 


KAMEHAMEHA  SCHOOL. 


longer  than  any  of  their  priests  knew,  and  as  they  drew  near  by  night  the 
darkness  was  suddenly  illumed  with  dazzling  sheets  of  flame,  and  such  a 
storm  of  cinders  and  rocks  fell  about  the  natives  that  they  fled  for  their 
lives.  Rallied  by  their  chief  in  the  valley  below,  for  two  days  they  were 
witnesses  of  a scene  which  carried  terror  to  the  stoutest  hearts.  All  the 
time  deep  peal  upon  peal  of  thunder  rolled  over  their  heads,  while  clouds 
so  black  they  darkened  the  sun  at  midday  rose  from  the  crater,  lighted 
at  intervals  by  flashes  of  lightning  so  vivid  that  they  were  compelled  to 
close  their  eyes.  At  last  they  were  urged  to  resume  their  march,  but 


HAWAII. 


191 


as  they  were  passing  the  volcano,  such  a shower  of  lava,  sand,  and  rocks 
was  dung  upon  them  that  the  majority  were  overwhelmed,  the  survivors 
deeing  in  dismay.  This  was  believed  by  the  natives  to  be  a direct  interpo- 
sition on  the  part  of  Queen  Pele  in  behalf  of  Kamehameha. 

A public  highway  leads  from  Ililo  to  the  volcano  twenty  miles  distant 


NEW  HOAD  TO  THE  PAM. 


from  that  town,  and  the  sightseer  who  has  climbed  the  steady  ascent  from 
the  sea,  after  passing  through  a typical  Hawaiian  forest  and  green  delds, 
finds  himself  on  the  very  brink  of  the  crater  without  having  received  any 
warning  of  his  approach  to  the  “regions  infernal.”  If  he  had  come  from 
Kau,  on  the  other  side,  the  only  difference  would  have  been  an  exchange 


192 


THE  FAR  EAST. 


of  forest  for  desert,  of  the  green  of  the  growing  crops  for  the  brown  of  the 
lava  fields.  If  he  has  missed  the  anticipated  trembling  of  the  earth,  the 
deep,  sullen  roar  of  the  Plutonian  hosts  imprisoned  here,  the  effect  is 
the  more  impressive  as  he  stands  suddenly  on  the  threshold  of  this  “ House 
of  Fire,”  with  walls  seamed  and  twisted  by  earthquakes,  and  floor  laid  in 
blocks  of  melted  stone.  With  feeling  akin  to  terror  he  gazes  spellbound 
on  the  upheavals  of  lurid  fountains  sending  their  spiral  columns  high  into 
the  air,  of  huge  boulders  tossed  on  the  crests  of  crimson  waves ; on  tides 
of  liquid  flames  surging  against  the  sides  of  this  burning  lake ; on  ten 
thousand  torches  lighted  by  no  human  hand,  fading  and  rekindling  with 
startling  rapidity  ; on  the  areas  of  boiling  lava,  now  rising  on  the  swelling 
flood,  now  sinking  deep  into  the  bottomless  regions  from  whence  came  all 
this  molten  mass,  — on  all  this  and  more  that  cannot  be  described,  until  he 
feels,  as  he  never  has  before,  the  power  and  the  presence  of  the  infinite 
builder  of  the  world.  Before  this  sight  all  else  on  earth  pales  into  insig- 
nificance and  is  forgotten. 

As  this  is  written,  report  comes  that  Mauna  Loa  is  again  in  convulsion, 
that  Hilo  is  once  more  threatened,  and  the  people  are  seeking  safety  in 
flight.  Shocks  of  earthquake  shook  the  island  for  twenty-five  miles,  and 
were  felt  in  Honolulu.  There  are  two  streams  of  lava  flowing,  one  toward 
Kail,  and  the  other  in  the  direction  of  Hilo.  The  damage  to  property  has 
already  been  considerable.  So  it  will  be  until  the  volcanic  forces  which 
have  been  building  the  islands  shall  be  spent,  and  Hawaii,  like  her  sister 
islands,  be  emancipated  from  its  thraldom  of  fire.  Then,  indeed,  with  its 
happy  people,  will  it  be  the  Paradise  of  the  Pacific. 


LAYSON  ISLAND  BIRDS. 


GETTY  RESEARCH  INSTITUTE 

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